


The Art of Kissing

by inukagome15



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Prompt Fill, Romance, Temporary Character Death, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-02-03 22:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 73
Words: 49,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1758185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inukagome15/pseuds/inukagome15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short stories about kisses shared between Steve and Tony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Forehead Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kuro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuro/gifts), [nightwalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwalker/gifts), [Ravenwolf36](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenwolf36/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for [kurowrites](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kuro/pseuds/kuro), who asked for a forehead kiss.  
> So there's a [kissing meme](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/post/88184071661/kissing-fic-memed) going around. Feel free to drop by and prompt me in my askbox! :)

Tony wasn’t quite sure what had woken him up, but  _something_  had dragged him out of the peaceful oblivion that was sleep. He grumbled discontentedly, wiggling down into the warm blankets surrounding him.

There was a small laugh right above him. “Tony.”

Tony refused to answer, keeping his eyes closed.

“I know you’re not asleep, Tony.” There was a sweet press of lips against his forehead, and  _oh_. Now Tony knew what had woken him up.

“Asleep,” Tony grumbled, pressing his face into a smooth expanse of skin. He inhaled deeply, taking in Steve’s unique scent and warmth.

Fingers stroked through Tony’s hair, scratching his scalp gently. “You’re remarkably coherent for a man who claims he’s asleep.”

Giving it up for lost, Tony rubbed his nose against Steve’s chest and opened his eyes, blinking up into Steve’s fond face. “ _Now_  I’m not,” he sighed, tilting his head back into Steve’s fingers.

“Now you’re not,” Steve agreed, and he brought his head down for a kiss, warm lips pressing against Tony’s own.

Waking up wasn’t so bad, not if he had this every morning.


	2. Collarbone Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for [nightwalker](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwalker). Feel free to drop by and [prompt one](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/post/88184071661/kissing-fic-meme)!

“Steve.”

Steve hummed in response, eyes fixed on the drawing he was trying to finish. It wasn’t particularly interesting as it was about a bowl of fruit that Clint insisted on keeping in the living room because magazines had them, but Steve was going to finish this because it was the fifth time he’d started.

Don’t get him started on what happened the last several times.

“Steve.”

Steve carefully shaded in the apple, humming again in response but definitely not listening.

“Steeeve.”

“Uh-huh.” Steve squinted slightly at the banana, wondering if he should really add the plastic spider that was dangling off the end of it. What was it doing there anyway?

“I’m gonna go make out with Thor.”

“Sounds good.” Steve held the drawing up to the light, filling in the round body of the spider.

“I’m getting Rhodey for a threesome. You in for being the filling?”

“Great.” Steve drew in the dangly legs, adding little wiggle lines because he could.

“You’re not  _listening_  to me.” Somebody draped himself over Steve’s shoulders, head coming to rest in the crook of Steve’s neck.

“Let me finish this,” Steve murmured, angling his head away from Tony’s messy hair to finish the body of the spider.

“You’ve been working on that for  _ages_.” Tony mouthed at his neck. “You just agreed to a threesome without batting an eye.”

Now Steve was distracted by Tony sucking on his neck. “Huh - what?”

“I’m gonna call Rhodey,” Tony continued, trailing up to nip at Steve’s earlobe. “And he’s going to come right over because having sex with an American idol has been his  _dream_ —”

“Tony,  _what_?” Steve managed to stop Tony from mauling his neck long enough to give him an incredulous look. “I did not agree to having sex with Rhodey.”

Tony blinked at him, face the picture of innocence. “You did. I even have it on tape. JARVIS?”

Steve held up a hand before JARVIS could pull it up. “No, JARVIS, don’t.”

Tony pulled himself over the couch and draped himself over Steve before the other could stop him, pushing aside the sketchbook as he did. “Now that I have your undivided attention…” He leaned in for a quick kiss, pecking Steve on the lips.

Steve eyed the fruit bowl in dismay. “Tony…”

“The fruit bowl can wait,” Tony said in a low tone that did positively sinful things to Steve’s body. He shuddered before he could stop himself.

“That’s it…” Tony murmured softly, ducking his head to plant a warm kiss on Steve’s collarbone. He followed this with several smaller kisses and nips up Steve’s neck, finishing with a warm, soft kiss on Steve’s jaw line, right at the place where he couldn’t stop another full-body shudder of pleasure.

“I wasn’t done,” Steve managed, head dropping back to the couch. This opened up his neck to Tony, who proceeded to scrape his teeth right at Steve’s pulse point..

“It can wait.” Tony nipped at his pulse, planting a kiss there a moment later.

That was all Steve could take. With a huff, he flipped them over so he was on top, bending down to take Tony’s mouth in his own, his hand snaking under Tony’s shirt with a single-minded intent.

The fruit bowl could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But the sketchbook ended up being too crumpled to draw on, and somehow the TV managed to make away with it when Steve wasn't looking. Set in either That Damn Tank Top or The Silent War. The 'verse is up to you.


	3. Kiss with a Fist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But what is a kiss with a fist... o.O
> 
> Still taking prompts from [this](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/post/88225530581/kissing-fic-meme) kissing meme!
> 
> For kurowrites!

“Damn it, Tony!”

Tony ignored the furious super soldier behind him, quickly moving down to his workshop. The other wasn’t deterred, keeping pace with him easily.

“When are you going to listen? We had a plan and you deviated from it!”

“I deviated from it because there was no other choice,” Tony said, quickly typing in the password and opening the door.

“Then you could have said something!” Steve’s face was tight in anger, his eyes flashing. “I would’ve adjusted it!”

“There was no time.” Tony picked up a wrench for lack of anything else to do with Steve in the same area. After a moment, he sighed and met Steve’s furious eyes. “I did the calculations, Steve. My way was the fastest, easiest way to do it  _without_  casualties.”

“It put you at risk,” Steve said tightly, his arms folded across his chest. “That’s not acceptable.”

“There are risks in this line of work,” Tony pointed out needlessly, setting the wrench aside. He called up a holograph, pulling up the schematics of the newest arc reactor. “Or have you failed to notice that we fight against villains who could decimate New York City given half a chance?”

“That’s why we fight as a team, Tony.  _We_ , not  _you_. You’re not alone in this anymore, so why do you keep fighting as if you are?”

“What do you  _want_  from me?” Tony threw up his hands, spinning the holograph away. “So I didn’t follow the plan - big deal! My file says I’m not a team player; you  _know_  that.”

“I don’t take files at face value, and you’ve played well on a team before.”

“People change.” Tony tightened his jaw, glaring at Steve. “Would you rather I put Natasha at risk? Clint? I went with the best plan given my options, and it  _worked_.”

“If you had  _told_  me about these options, I could’ve come up with something different that didn’t put you in harm’s way!”

Tony blinked, narrowing his eyes at Steve a second later. “I have a  _suit_. A suit made out of a ridiculously strong metal that even tanks can’t penetrate. Just _how_  am I in harm’s way?”

“No armor’s impenetrable,” Steve said, voice quieter but no less fiercer for it. He stepped closer, coming right into Tony’s personal space. “No armor’s impenetrable,” he repeated, “and I’m not going to lose one of my own because he was too stubborn to listen to orders.”

Despite his surprise, Tony rallied quickly. “Not one of your soldiers, Captain.”

“You’re one of  _mine_ , regardless of whether or not you’re a soldier!” Steve snapped, pressing right up against Tony.

That was  _awfully_  close, and Steve didn’t even seem to notice judging from the way he was glaring down at Tony.

So deflect…

“Careful there, Cap,” Tony said lightly, leaning back against the table in an effort to put some space between them. “One might think you actually care.”

“You—” Steve did something completely unexpected. He kissed Tony, hands clutching at Tony’s neck and pulling him right into his face.

Flailing for a moment, Tony made a questioning sound into Steve’s mouth, something that might have been a “What?” if it had gone anywhere but into Steve’s mouth. After a moment, he put his hands on Steve’s elbows and leaned into the kiss.

No sooner had he done so did Steve break it off, jerking out of Tony’s reach and looking completely appalled. “I’m sorry - so sorry—”

Snorting, Tony grabbed hold of Steve by the uniform - no easy feat considering how skintight it was - and hauled him back in. “Shut up and kiss me again.”

Stunned into compliance, Steve did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't do the punching route, so I just went with a fight.


	4. Underwater Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God, I COULD DO SO MANY THINGS WITH THIS ONE. But I’ll go with the fancier version of it. Unless you want the other one as well?
> 
> For nightwalker!
> 
> Hit me with [more prompts](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/post/88225530581/kissing-fic-meme) if you want! :)

Steve had always heard stories about mermaids. The most famous probably being Andersen’s  _The Little Mermaid_ , even if the original had made him cry like a baby the first time he’d heard it. Disney’s version just didn’t compare, even with the happy ending.

So, yes, Steve had heard stories about mermaids. But that didn’t mean he’d  _believed_  them.

Until he’d fallen off the cruise ship he’d been working on with Bucky. It was his own fault for being out there during a thunderstorm. And it was his own damn fault for seeing something in the water and thinking it was someone who’d fallen overboard. He’d gotten the lifebuoy and was going to throw it overboard when a particularly fierce of gust of wind blew him right over the railing and sent him hurtling head first into the choppy water.

All the air punched out Steve’s lungs with the contact, the water too dark for him to tell which way was up to safety. Going up and hitting the ship would  _not_ be a good idea.

Lightning flashed, and Steve jerked back in shock upon seeing another person right next to him. He had dark eyes and hair, his mouth framed by a goatee. He was also looking right at Steve with an implacable expression.

Steve closed his eyes, thinking he’d been hallucinating, and was about to try and swim for the surface to get some air when he felt something grab hold of his wrists.

His lungs burned as he exhaled air that he didn’t have in a surprised burst of bubbles, and his eyes snapped open, stinging in the salt water.

The other person that he’d seen was even closer now, his face mere inches from Steve’s and all the clearer for it. Now Steve could see that his eyes were brown and filled with a startlingly clever intelligence.

He felt something scaly and cold slip between his legs, and his eyes drifted closed again even as he felt lips press against his own, parting them gently with a warm tongue.

That was when Steve reached his limit, and his body reflexively tried to heave in air. Steve struggled, expecting water to hit his lungs, but instead there was air - air coming from the other man’s mouth as he breathed oxygen into Steve.

Clutching at the other man’s arms and only vaguely surprised to feel something scaly and fin-like meet his fingers, Steve simply floated there, held tight by the strange man and letting him breathe for him, mouths pressed together.

Later, much later after Steve had been found floating on a piece of driftwood by the crew of a passing ship and Bucky had reunited with him, Steve would look out at the ocean and wonder about the strange man who had saved his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because we could do with more mermaid!AUs! Also, this is a much longer tale than what I've got here, but it's just a kissing scene.


	5. Underwater Kiss II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For nightwalker! <3  
> She wanted the non-fantasy version of the underwater kiss.

Tony didn’t like water. That didn’t mean he couldn’t take a bath or go soak in a whirlpool, but he didn’t  _like_  it. It took him months to work past the fear of water that Afghanistan had instilled in him, but he’d managed it in the end because he  _liked_  taking baths and swimming in a pool and he would be damned if he let a bunch of terrorists take that away from him.

So he didn’t like water, but he didn’t tell anyone else that he didn’t like water either. Rhodey knew; he’d been around Tony when he’d desensitized himself, but he hadn’t told anyone because he was Tony’s best friend and knew when to keep his mouth shut.

That meant that when Steve asked Tony to come with him to the pool, he did so guilelessly, with absolutely no prior knowledge of Tony’s past with water. And Tony revealed nothing else, going to root out one of his many bathing suits.

The pool water was warm from the sun, and Tony didn’t go in immediately, instead just letting it soak his legs as he watched Steve swim lap after lap.

Soon Steve came to a stop on the wall where Tony was sitting, resting his arms on the warm stones and looking up at Tony with a lazy half smile. “You gonna join me?”

“I don’t know.” Tony returned his smile, eyes tracking the water droplets on Steve’s blond hair. “You going to give me something if I do?”

Steve’s grin was like quicksilver, his hands curling around Tony’s ankles. “Always the businessman,” he teased.

“That’s me,” Tony agreed, not bothering to move.

“I think,” Steve said slowly, fingers stroking up and down Tony’s ankles, “that I can make it worth your while.”

Lowering himself in the water, Tony braced himself on Steve’s broad shoulders, giving him a lascivious smile. “You think so, do you?”

“I do,” Steve assured him, eyes growing dark.

That was all the warning Tony had before Steve dunked him.

Spluttering, Tony came up a second later, glaring at Steve. “What are you - five?”

“Just having some fun,” Steve said shamelessly, grinning brightly.

“I’ll show you  _fun_.” Tony threw himself onto Steve, dunking both of them into the water.

Steve could throw him off easily, but he didn’t. His arms went around Tony, bringing him closer. His face was remarkably clear to Tony’s eyes, only several inches separating them.

Within a moment, Steve closed the distance, pressing his lips to Tony’s and parting them to tangle his tongue with Tony’s, kissing him deeply, sweetly.

Tony barely noticed when they broke the surface, too engrossed in Steve’s mouth.

Steve broke the kiss a moment later, murmuring against Tony’s lips, “Worth your while?”

Tony pecked him quickly, lips curling up into a soft smile. “I don’t know… I might need some more…persuasion.”

“I can do that,” Steve said, leaning in again to draw Tony into a deep kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They paid no attention to Clint's disgusted exclamations, and everyone gave the pool a wide berth after that. Clint demanded they clean the water.


	6. Nose Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also for nightwalker!  
> Nose kisses are some of my favorite kisses...

“I’m not sick.”

“Sure you aren’t.”

“I’m not. I’m just slightly warm.”

“You’re always warm.”

“I get the feeling you’re patronizing me.”

“Never patronizing.” Steve stroked a hand through Tony’s sweaty hair, gently scraping his fingernails against Tony’s scalp. He knew the other man had a slight headache.

“I’m not sick,” Tony sighed again, huddled in a mound of blankets with only his head poking out. His face was flushed with a slight fever, eyes unhealthily bright.

“Just rest,” Steve said, dropping to give Tony’s nose a soft kiss that made the other man scrunch up his face.

“I’m in bed.”

Steve returned his attention to his book, continuing to stroke through Tony’s hair. “Sleep, Tony.”

“Not sleepy,” Tony mumbled, huddling down deeper into the blankets. He pressed closer to Steve, breaths coming slower and slower until they evened out.

Smiling slightly, Steve wrapped an arm around his definitely sick boyfriend and continued to read. It was raining outside, but he was warm and comfortable right where he was.

He pressed another kiss to Tony’s forehead, checking his temperature as he did.

Slightly sick, but getting better. Steve could deal with that.

For now, they would just rest.


	7. Hot, Steamy Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *fans self* Don't know how steamy this one is.
> 
> This one's for ravenwolf35, who specifically asked for Steve/Tony and #1 on the list. <3

“Tony,” Steve moaned, shifting restlessly under him. “Stop - stop teasing.”

Tony stopped what he’d been doing, which wasn’t what Steve had wanted. He instead looked up to give Steve a grin. “Teasing, love? You’ve haven’t seen anything if you think  _this_  is teasing.”

“Just—” Steve pulled Tony up, wanting him closer - just wanting  _more_  and unable to figure out how to get it.

Tony understood, stroking gentle hands down Steve’s quivering sides. “Shh. I’ve got you.”

“Just kiss me,” Steve managed, pressing his head back into the ridiculously soft pillow.

“Like this?” Tony pressed a gentle kiss to Steve’s pulse point.

Steve whimpered, hand moving down to hold Tony tightly. His other clenched the bed sheets tightly. “ _Tony_ ,” he panted.

“I’ve got it,” Tony assured him, then he finally moved up and dipped his head to give Steve a dizzyingly deep kiss that left him breathless and aching for more.

He whined, pressing up for more, parting his lips and pushing into Tony’s mouth. His hands clutched at Tony’s neck, keeping him right there as Steve sucked desperately at Tony’s tongue, needing this, needing  _more._

Tony melted into him, mouth hot and pliant over Steve’s, although it didn’t stay that way. He withdrew slightly, nipped Steve’s lower lip as he whined again in protest, and then he pressed in again, one hand tracing down Steve’s side and curving over his thigh to cup under his knee, lifting it up. Steve arched into him, clutching Tony around the waist with his legs as the other continued kissing him, continued sucking all the oxygen out of his lungs.

“You’re too much,” Tony said breathlessly, drawing away from Steve to catch his breath. “Too much—”

Steve said nothing -  _couldn’t_  say anything - and he instead let his lips do the talking for him, reaching up to kiss Tony again and again, letting the dizzying warmth take him to new heights.

Later, sweaty and sated and curled up with Tony, Steve buried his face in Tony’s hair and breathed in the smell of sex and heat and  _Tony_  and let it pull him under into warm darkness.


	8. Upside-Down Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For sweetchick621! A "Spider-Man kiss."

“I just want to let you know,” Tony said firmly, “that this is not my fault.”

Steve gaped, unable to do much else. “What.”

“See, there’s this kid - I don’t know if you know him - goes by Spider-Man? - and he had a little accident with his web shooters—”

“How does that end up with you hanging upside down from the ceiling?” Steve managed, looking up at his boyfriend, who was indeed hanging upside down from the ceiling. He looked rather defensive about his position, his arms crossed over his chest as his ankles were strung up by a delicate but strong web.

“Parkour,” Tony said sulkily, not bothering to elaborate.

“I don’t know what that means,” Steve said, restraining the urge to pinch his nose between his fingers.

Tony waved a dismissive hand, looking even odder for doing so while upside down. “Doesn’t matter. You think you can get me down?”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know.” He grinned slowly. “I’m kind of enjoying the view.”

“Of me getting gradually dizzier and dizzier from the blood rushing to my brain?”

“No.” Steve stepped up to Tony, reaching up to tangle his fingers in Tony’s messy hair and steady him. It was weird looking at Tony like this, but Steve didn’t let that deter him. He leaned in, standing slightly taller so that he could reach Tony’s lips.

He tried to keep it chaste, but Tony was almost impossible to deal with.

Moments later, Steve broke apart from Tony with a rough gasp, blinking rapidly and lips tingling. It had felt odd to kiss like that, but nice.

“Okay.” Tony was also blinking rapidly and looking rather dazed. “That was totally hot, and I’m all for doing it again, but can you let me down before I faint?”

“I should get that on tape,” Steve managed, leaning in for another kiss, keeping his one chaste before he put his hands under Tony’s shoulder blades and lifted up, positioning him slightly horizontally to help with the blood flow. “Better?”

“Much,” Tony said, hands coming down to Steve’s shoulders. “Now let me down, because staring at the ceiling is going to get boring.”

Looking for a knife to give to Tony, Steve decided to try this out again. Next time preferably on a bed and with both of them horizontal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could've gone with something else, but I decided to do this. :3


	9. Knee Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For kurowrites, who is definitely not milking it because her prompts are damn cute.

They’d been watching a movie alone. Clint and Natasha were out on a “date” for a mission that involved them being all romantic and gushy with each other (Tony wasn’t sure  _why_  and asking would lead to Natasha giving him that  _look_  and Clint polishing his bow in unusual places), Thor was with Jane in some romantic restaurant, Steve’s new friend Sam had other obligations (namely commiserating with Rhodey and getting drunk), and Bruce was holed up in his lab on pain of death because he had an experiment that was likely to explode and this was the third time he’d started it.

So it was just Tony and Steve, and they were curled up on the couch watching some movie JARVIS had pulled up for them upon asking. It looked like  _Zathura_ , but a newer one with a very emotional Kirsten Stewart. That girl’s talents were wasted on drivel like  _Twilight_.

“Be nice, Tony,” Steve murmured, and maybe he’d said that last bit out loud.

“You can’t tell me you enjoyed that goddamn movie,” Tony grumbled, giving Steve the stink-eye from where he was cuddled up on Steve’s chest.

“It had its moments,” Steve said charitably, noticeably not saying what these moments were.

“Yeah, no. That whole thing was garbage from start to finish and I’m still not over Thor making us watch that.”

“It had shirtless guys.”

“ _Steve_.” Tony made sure to sound as wounded as he could. “If it’s shirtless guys that have your attention, I could do it all day.”

“Sweaty, shirtless guys.”

“How long do you think it’ll take me to get sweaty?”

“Sweaty, shirtless guys that run around in the woods and turn into wolves.”

Tony slapped a smirking Steve in the chest. “You stop it.”

Steve blinked innocently at him. “I thought you liked my mouth?”

“Not if it’s uttering obscenities that  _praise **Twilight**_ ,” Tony said.

Steve pursed his lips, shrugging once. “Too bad.” Then he turned his attention back to the movie, where an astronaut had just turned into Josh Hutcherson and apparently now the Kirsten Stewart character was shocked about crushing on her little brother (Tony could see why).

Tony wasn’t having it. He pulled away from Steve, only to swing back around to straddle the other’s hips. Steve’s hands came down automatically to brace him. “I don’t think so,” he purred, voice dropping to a near whisper.

Steve looked up at him through hooded eyes. “You really want to start this, Tony?” he asked, lips quirking into a sly smile.

“I think,” Tony said slowly, hands tracing down over Steve’s shoulders and then his sides, coming to a stop at the fringes of his shirt, “that I really, definitely do.”

Steve looked up at him for a moment more before breaking into a shit-eating grin that took Tony’s breath away. “Your loss,” he cheerfully informed Tony, and in one second he’d flipped Tony onto his back and was tickling him mercilessly.

Tony wheezed in helpless laughter, squirming to get away from Steve. “St-Steve! St-stop it!” He tried in vain to get Steve’s hands to stop, but the other was relentless, hands seeking out each and every sensitive point Tony had and then some.

“Give up?” Steve asked, still tickling Tony.

Breath hitching in laughter and tears trickling from his eyes, Tony grinned breathlessly up at Steve. “Never.”

Steve just shrugged. “Okay.” Then he yanked Tony’s shirt up and continued tickling him, but this time on bare skin.

Tony lasted all of two minutes before begging Steve to please just stop, all the while giggling helplessly.

Eventually Steve did, hands effortlessly transitioning from tickling Tony mercilessly to stroking soothing patterns on Tony’s hypersensitive skin. “Am I free to praise  _Twilight_  now?”

“I will invent a tickling machine just for you if you ever dare to do so again,” Tony informed him breathlessly, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

“Somehow,” Steve said, hands cupping under Tony’s knees, and bringing his legs up, “I don’t doubt that.”

“Are you going to do anything?” Tony asked, bringing his hands up over his head. He was fully aware of what this position did for Steve, and he felt a wave of satisfaction and warmth roll through him as he saw Steve’s eyes darken.

“I might.” Steve bent over, kissing Tony’s stomach. He nosed at Tony’s navel, kissed the strip of skin right above his sweatpants, and then he tilted to the side to kiss Tony’s knee, which was so damn weird since it was still covered in a smelly pair of sweatpants that hadn’t been washed in a week.

“You’re so weird,” Tony said, grinning dopily up at Steve.

“I’m your weirdo,” Steve told him, returning that grin and leaning in for a warm kiss that Tony gladly returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff... Drowning in fluff...
> 
> Not sorry for the _Twilight_ bashing. But _Zathura_ is a pretty good movie.


	10. Kiss on the Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anonymous prompter, who was offended by the lack of a hand kiss on the meme and prompted it regardless. Also for marmotje, who happened to request it around the same time as the anon. :3
> 
> You can be outrageously offended, and you can go and prompt it anyway. :D

This Halloween Tony had dressed as a vampire. Simply because people needed to remember Dracula and not that sparkly vampire crap that was going around nowadays. Besides, vampires were where it was at, not zombies or werewolves or whatever else YA lit was touting nowadays.

So he’d gone all out for the costume, including the pale makeup and the authentic fangs and the contact lenses that gave his eyes a reddish sheen. He’d also gone for that dramatic black cape and standing collar because he did have a weakness for grandstanding, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

So when he arrived at the party the Avengers had arranged for Halloween, he was fashionably late and could take his time looking at what the others had pulled together.

Clint had actually dressed up as Katniss and looked completely comfortable in the wig and was chatting comfortably with Sam, who’d come dressed up as Kevin Flynn from  _Tron_ , which earned him loads of brownie points.

Natasha was at the bar with James Buchanan Barnes, who Steve had managed to drag home two months ago. Natasha had dressed up as Harley Quinn, and her new bestie was the Joker, although the painted-on grin looked strange with his grim face. His eyes kept flickering around the room, landing on Tony for a moment before his attention returned to Natasha. 

Rhodey, secretly being a Star Trek geek, had pulled out his captain’s uniform and was proudly wearing it next to Pepper’s stylish witch costume. Bruce was next to them, dressed in what looked like Dr. Jekyll, which had been Tony's gag gift last year for Halloween.

Thor was Thor and had procured a costume that left nothing to the imagination, with only his delicate bits covered in a golden…thong-like bit. Jane was next to him and looked a bit like she was holding back giggles at her boyfriend’s attire; she’d dressed as Princess Leia. Darcy was admiring Thor’s physique and was dressed as Han Solo.

That left Steve, and Tony was very pleased to find his partner wearing a Captain Jack Harkness uniform; the coat suited him particularly well, although Steve looked vaguely uncomfortable where he was sitting on the couch. He brightened upon seeing Tony, who’d already started making his way towards him.

“Oh, Captain, come here often?” Tony asked, grinning down at him. His fangs pierced his lower lip.

“Not as often as you do,” Steve replied coyly, grinning back at him.

Tony held back a snort of laughter, his grin turning sly. “Oh?” he purred, taking Steve’s hand in his own. “Perhaps that can be…remedied?” He planted a delicate kiss on the back of Steve’s hand, looking up at him sultrily through his eyelashes.

A light blush covered Steve’s cheeks, and his fingers curled around Tony’s. “Maybe later?” he suggested.

Tony flashed him a lazy grin, leaning in close to whisper into Steve’s ear and relishing the delighted shudder it elicited, “What’s wrong with now?”

Mindful of his fangs, Tony dipped in for a kiss, hand coming up to Steve’s chin to tilt his face up.

The kiss was completely worth Bucky “accidentally” dumping all his liquor down Tony’s collar minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fail at writing flirty lines or pickup lines. I fail at writing Jack Harkness and Tony's suaveness. I fail in general. Sorry.
> 
> Also, want more of these? Prompt me!


	11. Goofy Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For milkyetoile, who had a desperate urge for a goofy kiss.
> 
> I am still taking prompts! Consider it open until all of them have been filled! :)
> 
> And thanks to onemuseleft, whenever I see the words “goofy kiss” my mind instantly goes to Goofy from Disney and now what I have seen cannot be unseen.
> 
> (Psst, kurowrites, this is what you do, not torture poor innocent characters.)

The Avengers usually didn’t go to an amusement park. For one, it usually ended in mass crowds and people begging them for an autograph. Two, a mission alert would often go off in the middle of the event and then they’d have to leave and Hulk would be particularly vicious in the following battle and refuse to turn back to Bruce because he still wanted that cotton candy.

So it had been a while since the last time they’d gone to an amusement park, but things were different now. Steve had found this guy named Sam Wilson, who was quite frankly awesome and got on like a house on fire with Rhodey and practically everybody else Tony knew. Steve had also found his long lost friend Bucky, and after some screaming and shouting and a whole lot of shooting, Bucky had been assimilated (ha ha,  _assimilated_ , get it? …Shut up, Clint!) into the Avengers and was relatively more easygoing, although there were still dark days where he jumped at every person and was too happy with a knife.

In lieu of their two new members and the amusement park opening on Coney Island, Steve had proposed an outing, this time with disguises so they wouldn’t be harangued by the people. He’d also wheedled the Fantastic Four into taking any calls, so they could enjoy the day unless some villain specifically targeted the amusement park (Tony pitied whoever did, because Hulk would put them down in five seconds flat and then go after some cotton candy).

As pretty much everyone had no objections to going out and enjoying the park, they all managed to find some disguises. Tony put a cover on the reactor and then went for a baseball cap and sunglasses; he wasn’t going to wear anything else in this sweltering heat. Steve didn’t really need anything to cover his face, as his face was generic enough (despite how ridiculously handsome and  _gorgeous_  he was) that no one would look twice at him as long as he kept the clothes casual.

Natasha and Clint both procured wigs and ended up looking like hippies.

In his human clothes, Thor was virtually unrecognizable, so he didn’t have anything else. The same for Bruce and Sam. And since Bucky was still relatively unknown and prostheses weren’t uncommon, all he did was cover the red star on his metal arm and he was good to go.

They took two of Tony’s most discreet cars, which wasn’t saying much considering how obvious they still were, but Tony just plain refused to take the subway, all too clearly remembering what had happened the last time when he’d had all the senses of a cat.

Steve still hadn’t managed to drag Tony down there because even though Tony didn’t have the ability of a cat to hide from everyone, he was clever enough that he could evade all people in his house (including the super spies) for 24 hours. As long as JARVIS didn’t tattle on him, but his AI was on his side when it came to subways.

The amusement park was crowded when they finally arrived and parked, and they separated practically instantly, Clint and Natasha wandering off to do their own thing, Thor grabbing Bruce and dragging him to the roller coasters much to Bruce’s alarm, and Sam snagging Bucky and pulling him to the rigged shooter games. He also gave Steve and Tony a wink and a wave.

Tony blinked at him, looking up at Steve suspiciously. “What was that about?”

"Nothing." Steve smiled at him, linking their fingers together and squeezing. "Where do you want to go first?"

Tony peered at him suspiciously for a moment longer before giving it up as a lost cause. “I’d say roller coasters, but I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment.”

"I’ve got it," Steve said, already pulling Tony after him.

Ten minutes later they ended up in a house of mirrors, and Tony found himself making faces at his oddly shaped reflections. The physics in these kinds of houses always intrigued him, and he delighted in finding the best spots to really get the oddest reflections. It also ended up in Steve nearly falling over from laughing, so that was a bonus.

After that Steve pulled Tony over to one of those games where if you knocked down a bunch of bottles, you won a stuffed toy. Steve had Tony turn around for this one, telling him to close his eyes.

Giving the other a suspicious look, Tony did so, keeping his ears open for any tell-tale sounds. A moment later, he heard the sounds of a bunch of bottles being knocked over to the sounds of the crowd clapping excitedly.

Fidgeting impatiently, Tony tilted his head to the side, trying to make out anything else and nearly jumping out of his skin when someone wrapped an arm around his shoulders. It ended up being Steve, but Tony’s heart still pounded frantically in his chest from the fright.

"Sorry." Steve did look apologetic, and he also had a large cat plushie in his hands that he immediately pushed into Tony’s arms.

Tony peered down at it. “Very fluffy.”

"It reminded me of you," Steve said, blushing slightly. He darted in to give Tony a kiss on the nose and then drew back, hand tightening around Tony’s and dragging him off again.

This time they ended up standing in line, and Tony noticed in a second that this one was for the Ferris wheel.

"Wow, really?" Tony craned his head back to look at it.

Steve just smiled shyly at him, thumb stroking the skin on the back of Tony’s hand. He didn’t seem to mind the heat and Tony’s very sweaty palms.

Refraining from the dozen cracks he  _could_  make but didn’t, Tony just waited patiently for their turn on the wheel, not even saying anything when Steve pressed a kiss in Tony’s sweaty hair (how was that  _possibly_  nice for him?).

About half an hour later, during which Steve went off in search of food and then returned with some hot dogs and cotton candy to snack on, they were almost due to go on. Tony had just finished the last of his cotton candy, Steve smearing most of it over his lips in a fit of glee, when an employee ushered them forward and into an empty car.

There was no question about them sitting next to each other, and Steve snuggled up to Tony practically instantly, molding himself to Tony’s side and pressing his lips to Tony’s temple.

“I’ve got to be ridiculously smelly by now,” Tony said, making a face.

“I didn’t notice,” Steve said, and there wasn’t a hint of a lie in his voice. He gave Tony a silly smile and kissed him again, this time on the lips.

“You’re unusually chipper,” Tony said after a moment.

Steve squeezed Tony warmly, ducking his head slightly. “I’m just happy.”

There was nothing Tony could say to that, but he felt his cheeks heat slightly in response. Swallowing, he looked away and out the window just as the ride kicked into gear, slowly sending their car higher and higher into the sky.

“The first time I was here,” Steve started slowly, “it was with Bucky. He had me ride the Cyclone.” He smiled wistfully at the memory, pressing his cheek to the side of Tony’s head. “I threw up.”

Tony snorted, barely holding back the laughter. “That’s a memory.”

“It was fun, aside from the throwing up.”

“I bet you wouldn’t throw up this time.”

“I’m not too keen on doing it again,” Steve admitted, “but Bucky’ll probably drag me onto it before we leave just for revenge.” His grip tightened slightly, and he inhaled deeply, pressing another kiss into Tony’s hair.

Sighing, Tony relaxed into Steve, closing his eyes momentarily. He took the baseball cap off, needing some air. He ran his fingers through the strands, mussing them up.

Steve joined in a moment later, ruffling the back of Tony’s head with a wicked grin.

“No messing with the merchandise!” Tony slapped his hands away, but he was grinning too much for it to sting.

“What if I’m going to buy it anyway?” Steve pushed up close to him, practically nose to nose with Tony.

“You can’t buy me,” Tony managed, eyes crossing as he focused on Steve’s really blue ones.

“I don’t want to.” Steve gave a stunned Tony one beaming smile before giving him a big smooch on his nose, one that was more tongue than anything else.

“Ergh, Steve!” Tony pushed him back, wiping at his face. “What are you – a dog?”

“For a few days, yes,” Steve answered completely seriously, and then he dipped in again for another wet smooch, but this one landed on Tony’s hand as he blocked it.

“No tongue!”

“I thought you liked my tongue?”

“I’m all gross!”

“I don’t care.” Steve managed to land a kiss on Tony’s cheek, nosing the corner of Tony’s eye as he did, his smile so wide that Tony could feel it pressing into his skin.

“Oh my God, you are  _hopeless_.” Tony grabbed Steve’s face and pulled him in for a kiss that was all tongue and completely graceless because they were both grinning too much for it to be anything but ridiculous.

“I don’t mind being hopeless,” Steve managed when they broke apart, “not if it gives me this.” He nosed at the corner of Tony’s mouth, kissing him gently a moment later. “And look…” His voice was soft. “The ride’s stopped.”

Steve picked himself up to give Tony enough room to also sit up and look. The ride had stopped, and that afforded them quite a view of the park and the island. But that wasn’t the best part.

No, the best part was the softly smiling man hovering above Tony.

Tony felt the now familiar rumbling in his chest start, and he smiled up at Steve when the sound made him look at Tony. “I like the view from here just fine.”

“Yeah.” Steve leaned in, pressing a long kiss to Tony’s lips, smiling into it. “Me, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This can be seen as a continuation of sorts to Oh, Purrfect (Or Alternatively "Damn it, Richards!").
> 
> Also, my teeth hurt from writing this. So much fluff...


	12. Kiss on the Temple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kogouma asked for a kiss on the temple! <3

“Hey, sleeping beauty.”

Steve murmured something under his breath, nuzzling into Tony’s neck and sighing.

“You getting up anytime soon, sweetheart?” Tony planted a soft kiss in Steve’s hair, hiding a smile when that earned him a grumble and Steve twining their legs together.

It probably shouldn’t be as funny as it was, but Steve was usually up at six for a morning run, so the way he was insisting on sleeping right now even though it was nine was hilarious. But to be fair, Steve had just come off a three day mission where he couldn’t sleep except for cat-naps. Clint had informed Tony that it was very inspirational, although slightly nerve-wracking watching someone go on so many hours of no sleep.

Steve’s hand flexed under Tony, and he nosed into Tony’s neck, mouth forming shapeless words against sleep-warm skin.

The message was clear: Steve wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

“All right.” Tony nosed through his hair, pressing a warm kiss to Steve’s temple and smiling when that resulted in Steve burrowing closer into him.

“Tony…?” Steve’s voice was muffled against his neck, blurry with sleep.

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart.” Tony pressed another kiss to his temple, stroking soothingly up and down Steve’s back.

With a contented sigh, Steve did.

Resting his cheek on Steve’s head, Tony closed his eyes and drifted.


	13. Spine-Tingling Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mystery_Penman asked for kisses up the spine.

Tony woke up slowly, not quite sure what had pulled him out of his warm dream that was slowly slipping out of his fingers. He could no longer quite remember what it had been about, but he had the faint feeling that it involved Steve and smoothies.

He felt a soft pair of lips press against the base of his spine, right at the small of his back. The lips slowly moved up, pressing gentle kisses against every single knob of his spine, sending tingles through Tony’s nerves. He shivered lightly, arching up slightly into that spine-tingling touch.

The kisses didn’t stop; they trailed all the way up to Tony’s neck and into his nape, where they stopped. A nose pressed into his skin, nuzzling into it. Another, longer kiss followed, and a warm weight pressed itself against Tony.

Tony sighed, turning his head, not opening his eyes. A pair of lips met his own, parting his gently until a warm tongue pushed in, gently drawing out a soft sigh from Tony. Slowly opening his eyes, Tony met a pair of warm blue eyes that were crinkled at the corners.

Steve drew back, smiling against Tony’s lips. “Good morning,” he whispered.

Tony smiled back, feeling the curve of Steve’s lips against his own. “It is.”

“I love you,” Steve murmured.

Whatever reply Tony might have had was lost in Steve’s lips as the other wrapped himself around him and coaxed him awake. But he was sure that his lips were conveying it properly to Steve.

_I love you._


	14. Eyelid Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sierra451 asked for an eyelid kiss. ~~Some angst crept into this one, but not much. Sorry?~~

Eyes were so delicate. They were two of the body’s most important organs, and they were so damn vulnerable even though they were right  _there_.

It fascinated Tony. And now it quite frankly terrified him because some  _idiot_  had gone and decided it was a brilliant idea to drop acid on  _Captain America’s eyeballs_. And the guy hadn’t even been aiming for Steve; he’d been aiming for Tony, and Steve had just gotten in the way because that was what Steve did.

Tony wasn’t sure if he could forgive him for doing that.

“He’s a super soldier,” Bruce assured him in the hospital’s waiting room. “His healing is off the charts. He’ll be fine.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Tony said tightly, arms folded across his chest as if he could stop the panic from clawing its way out.

Bruce said nothing else, but he did rub comforting circles in Tony’s shoulder. He’d already given the doctors all they help they needed; now they were just treating Steve’s eyes. From all appearances he would be fine, but Tony needed to  _see_.

Half an hour later, they were finally given the green light to go inside Steve’s room. Tony made a direct beeline for the bed once inside, commandeering the chair next to Steve and taking a tight hold of his hand.

Steve squeezed back instantly, smiling comfortingly in his direction even though his eyes were wrapped up in bandages and he couldn’t see a thing. “Hey, Tony…”

“You don’t get to ‘hey, Tony’ me right now,” Tony said sharply, hand flexing around Steve’s. “I’m really upset with you.”

Steve was still smiling. “I know.”

“You shouldn’t have done it.”

“I always will.”

“I’m pissed off.”

“You have every right to be.” Steve reached out, hand wavering slightly before he managed to touch Tony’s cheek. “But I’m not sorry for what I did. I’d do it over again if I had to.”

Tony blinked back tears, blinked back hundreds of calculations and facts about eyes and acid burns and possibilities. “You don’t get to say that. Not while you’re lying in bed with acid burns to your fucking  _eyeballs_  because you took the fall for me.”

Steve’s thumb comfortingly stroked Tony’s cheek. He said nothing else, simply stroking Tony’s cheek.

A few seconds later, Steve shifted, freeing his other hand to cup Tony’s face and draw it forwards. Then, so gentle that he might as well have been touching a butterfly, his lips pressed against Tony’s right eyelid. A moment later, he did the second. Then his lips pressed against Tony’s forehead.

“No one gets to hurt you,” Steve said quietly, his breath a warm wash on Tony’s skin.

Tony lasted all of five seconds before he let out a broken sob and clutched at Steve’s hands, dropping his head until it rested against Steve’s collarbone.

“It’s okay,” Steve said softly, thumbs rubbing circles into Tony’s temples. “It’s okay.”

And several days later, when Steve’s bandages came off and he blinked open blessedly clear blue eyes that focused on Tony’s almost immediately, Tony pressed his own, infinitely gentle kisses to Steve’s eyelids, and he knew it would be okay.


	15. Jawline Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sierra451 asked for a jawline kiss. :)

It was eight in the morning and Steve was reading the newspaper and eating an omelet. Clint sat opposite him, drowsily stirring a spoon in his cereal and squinting at the crossword. As Natasha wasn’t around to sneak in the right answers, Clint wasn’t doing very well.

“What thirteen-letter word do people who hate black cats not like to use?” Clint mumbled around the eraser of the pencil.

Steve thought for a moment, mentally counting the letters of all the words he could think of that would fit that category.

“Superstitious,” Tony’s voice said from behind him. He rested a hand on Steve’s shoulder, planting a soft kiss on top of Steve’s head. “Morning, babe.”

Steve stopped him before he could head to the coffee machine, drawing him down for a longer kiss and then making a face at the grease he could taste on Tony’s lips. “Did you stick something in your mouth again?”

Tony looked a bit confused and too tired, that overactive brain whirring overtime to think about the question. “Maybe?”

“Take a shower,” Steve told him, planting one more kiss on Tony’s jawline and stroking the black shadows under Tony’s left eye with a thumb. “And then go to bed.”

Tony shot him a sultry look that was in no way lessened by the shadows under his eyes. “You gonna join me?”

“Take a shower,” Steve repeated, a small smile playing at his lips, “and maybe I will.”

“I have a nine-letter word for what you two are, and it’s ‘sickening,’” Clint informed them.

“I have a two-word answer for what you should consider doing, and it’s ‘back off,’” Tony fired back just as quickly, not looking away from Steve. He dipped down, gave Steve a kiss on the nose, and then sauntered out of the kitchen, throwing over his shoulder in a sing-song voice, “I’m holding you to that, Captain!”

Steve just remained sitting there for several minutes, well aware that he probably had a silly grin on his face. Clint gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look for all of a minute before heaving a resigned sigh and returning to his crossword puzzle.

When Natasha came in five minutes later and promptly informed Clint that he had gotten every word wrong except for “superstitious,” Steve decided it was time he go to bed and cuddle with Tony. There hadn’t been enough cuddling lately, and it was time he rectify that.


	16. Wedding Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lab_girl asked for a wedding kiss. :)

“God, I can’t do this,” Tony muttered, rubbing his eyes.

“You’re going to ruin your makeup,” Pepper hissed, slapping his hands away. “Now take a deep breath and relax. You want this, and you can  _do_  this. Now go and meet Steve. You can’t start walking down the aisle without him.”

“No, no, see, it’s a  _mistake_. He’s going to wake up one day and realize it was all a giant mistake and then he’ll leave and I’ll be left all alone and—” He was shut up by a ribbon that Pepper stuffed into his mouth.

“Quiet now?” Pepper poked him in the chest. “You will be  _fine_ , Tony. Steve loves you, you love him, and he’s not going to wake up one day and take it back. Stop over thinking things and just go with the flow.”

“I’ve been telling him that from day one,” Rhodey said from the other side of the room. “You think that’s gonna do any good  _now_?”

“You be quiet,” Pepper told him, holding a hand up to forestall any further protests. She spoke again to Tony. “Do you think either of us would have gone through all this way if we thought Steve would leave you in the lurch like that?”

Tony spat out the ribbon, the panic subsiding slightly. “You would’ve stopped it?” His voice was uncertain.

“Hell yeah,” Rhodey said, coming up behind Pepper now. “You’re my best bud, Tony.” He clapped Tony on the upper arm, squeezing once before letting his hand drop. “And Steve loves you. A complete stranger can see it.”

“Okay.” Tony took a deep breath, nodding once. “Okay,” he repeated, feeling slightly calmer.

“Okay?” Pepper’s face softened, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Go out in two minutes, and just remember that everything will be fine.”

“Focus on the eyes,” Rhodey added, and he promptly looked up at the ceiling when Pepper and Tony gave him strange looks.

Two minutes later, Pepper and Rhodey had left the room and Tony was standing next to Steve, preparing to walk down the aisle.

He didn’t have any time to talk or fidget, because at that point the wedding march started, and Tony’s heartbeat ratcheted up several notches  _because this was actually happening_.

The rest of it was a blur except for Steve’s eyes (because Rhodey’s advice was actually some good; Tony was going to give him a really cool present) and Tony’s own anxiety making his hands shake as he guided the ring onto Steve’s finger. Steve’s hands were also rather shaky, but they were steady enough as he guided the ring onto Tony’s finger.

Then the priest said something along the lines of “ _Now you may kiss_ ” and they leaned in at the exact same time, habit and practice making it easy to slot their lips together.

With the touch, Tony’s nervousness washed away, and he felt Steve’s fingers card through his hair and their left hands curl together, their new rings clinking against each other.

The applause registered only distantly in his mind, and Tony thought he heard a wolf whistle that could’ve been from either Clint or Sam.

But none of that mattered with Steve’s warmth suffusing him.

All that mattered was Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And outside of this room, Steve is doing the exact same thing with Bucky, and Bucky is just telling him to get a grip and if Tony dares break his heart, that Bucky will give him exactly what’s coming to him and that Steve should just go out there and kill it.
> 
> Steve doesn’t think this particularly comforting but appreciates the sentiment.


	17. Dangerous Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An anonymous reviewer asked for a "dangerous, mission kiss." I still have a few more requests in my Inbox. :)

It had been a  _week_  since they’d taken Tony. A week without word beyond the trace JARVIS had managed to run and the people Natasha had been able to interrogate. A week without being able to sleep properly for fear that he wouldn’t be able to see Tony again. A week of remorse and regret because he should have just  _told him_ , but Steve  _didn’t_ , because he was a  _fool_  and a _coward_.

 So he snapped and barked and made a nuisance of himself. He knew that, but he couldn’t help it. Natasha and Clint were giving him dangerous looks, but Bruce kept shooing them off, and Steve was simultaneously grateful and resentful. Because what he was doing wasn’t right, but he couldn’t  _help_  himself.

He was sick with worry, and they  _still hadn’t found Tony_.

 No, apparently Tony found them, because one night JARVIS blared an alert into all their rooms and blew up blurry images of a factory in the middle of Iowa simply exploding.

 It was all the info they needed, and they were wheels up in ten, heading to Iowa.

They touched ground about an hour later, having broken the sound barrier, and by then the factory was still exploding at random points but largely intact.

Steve didn’t hesitate to give the others their directions, and once they were inside it was pure chaos. Smoke filled the air, and he could hear shouting and screaming.

He stumbled across a lot of prone bodies, but no one conscious until he entered a large, cavernous room. That was where he found a dozen armored men facing down a single one who was holding what looked like a welding torch and a gun.

Nary two seconds later, Steve’s flying shield took down half the men, two more went down to the welding torch, another one to the gun, and then Steve was down on the floor and taking out the remaining three.

“Steve?” Tony sounded breathless.

Steve whirled on him, stepped up close and just to the side of that sizzling welding torch, and pulled Tony in by the neck to give him a furious kiss.

It wasn’t half as perfect as he’d pictured. Their noses slammed into each other and Tony bit down on Steve’s lip, exhaling in surprise.

A violent explosion from outside the room had Steve jerking back, face flushing red in embarrassed mortification, and he crouched down to retrieve his shield to avoid looking Tony in the eyes.

After slotting his shield on his back, Steve marshaled his courage and turned to look Tony in the face.

The other had a dumbfounded look on his face, his mouth hanging half open. A second later, a pink tongue darted out to wet his lips, and the mouth closed. “So…ah…”

Under other circumstances, Steve would be proud to have rendered the great Tony Stark speechless.

“Rain check?” Tony asked finally, eyebrows arching. He licked his lips again, and Steve had to restrain himself from lunging in to give him another kiss.

Another loud explosion and the sounds of Natasha swearing in his earpiece jerked Steve out of his reverie, and he quickly agreed, “Rain check.”

He was going to tell Tony next time. No more waiting.


	18. Kiss of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Killer of Kings asked for a kiss of life, something to do with CPR, and "dangerous and heart wrenching."

The sight of the Iron Man armor plummeting into the water of the harbor was what had Steve running, panic surging through every nerve. He bashed his way through poorly built robots and minions dressed like beekeepers, heedless of the shouts and warnings his teammates snapped into his earpiece.

All he could think was that  _he needed to get to Tony._

It had been their third time assembling. The first time had been Loki, the second some crazy man calling himself Doctor Doom, and now this time was an organization called A.I.M. with a giant talking head at the forefront.

They hadn’t taken it seriously, and that was where they’d gone wrong.

Not taking it seriously for the Avengers was still deadlier and more serious than anything the U.S. government could come out with, but it proved costly for them this time, because Tony was down, and he wasn’t responding.

Steve dove into the murky water after the Iron Man suit without a second’s thought, only briefly barking out an order for everyone to keep the damage contained and  _just smash, Hulk!_  He had no doubt Hulk would do so after having seen Iron Man go down.

Yet his focus was on the suit and the man inside it. He had no idea what had happened to take out Tony’s suit. All he’d seen was a brilliant ray of light right before Tony had gone down (he refused to think of the scream Tony’d let out – he  _refused_ ).

He couldn’t really see through the murky water, and he needed to see the light of the reactor. But with the weight of the suit, Tony would have headed straight to the bottom, so Steve kicked down, grateful beyond words for his durable lungs.

It was a spot of light in the dark, but it was exactly what Steve had been looking for. He gave one more forceful pull with his arms, one more dolphin kick with his legs, and then his hands touched cold metal, and his fingers curled around a solid arm.

Steve’s lungs were beginning to burn now, but he ignored them to wrap an arm around the chest of the Iron Man suit. Then, pulling upwards, Steve began kicking.

The suit was heavy, but luckily the water made it lighter. There was no response from the man inside the suit, and that made Steve struggle all the harder for the surface.

When he finally reached it, Steve spat out a mouthful of disgusting river water and, coughing and spluttering, he heaved Tony up the rest of the way. The helmet lolled against Steve’s shoulder, the man inside still completely unresponsive.

Breath hitching in panic, Steve started making for the deck, only peripherally aware that most of the fighting had stopped.

It wasn’t until he heard a loud voice shout for his hand that Steve stopped swimming, only to raise his hand. A second later, a powerful grip clasped it and heaved both him and Tony out of the water.

Thor carried both of them to the deck, letting them drop gently as soon as he could. Steve landed with a soft roll, but Tony simply fell with a loud clanking of metal and lay there, motionless. With nothing more than sheer panic fueling his movements, Steve crawled the few feet to Tony and went for the latch to release the faceplate, popping it open to reveal a pale face.

Tony wasn’t breathing –  _he wasn’t breathing_. Steve went to release the helmet, having enough mind to carefully slip it off Tony’s head before casting it aside to check for Tony’s pulse. He couldn’t feel anything, although his hands were shaking too badly for him to be sure.

But Tony wasn’t breathing, and that wasn’t good.

There was a short Russian curse from behind him, and then Natasha dropped to her knees next to Steve, hands running over a breach in the suit that Steve hadn’t noticed before.

Tony wasn’t breathing, he wasn’t breathing, and that meant someone needed to for him.

He vaguely heard Natasha say something about Thor shocking Tony’s heart into life, but Steve wasn’t paying attention.

Hands trembling, Steve reached down and pinched Tony’s nose shut, his other hand gently opening Tony’s mouth. He pressed his mouth to Tony’s, puffing air into Tony’s mouth and to his lungs. Several breaths, and then he pulled back to pull in more oxygen before repeating the process.

And again.

And again.

And next to him Thor had his hands on Tony’s chest plate, lightning crackling from his fingertips and into Tony.

There was another low curse from Natasha, a loud roar from Hulk, and Steve heard Clint muttering promises under his breath  _if Tony would just breathe on his own_.

Steve took another breath and pressed his lips to Tony’s and  _exhaled_ , only this time he felt Tony jerk under his mouth, more than the reflexive twitches from Thor’s little lightning bolts, and he pulled back in time to avoid getting splattered in the face by Tony coughing up disgusting river water.

It was the most beautiful sound Steve had ever heard in his life, and he wasted no time in scooping Tony up and clutching him to his chest, burying his face in sodden hair and whispering desperate prayers of thanks.

And in his arms, Tony breathed.


	19. Kiss on the Hip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me a while to get around to this one; I was going in order of demand, and this one is now on my list. <3  
> For milkyetoile, who asked for a "'kiss on the hips' SteveTony this time? Preferably with a bruise, wound or a scar."
> 
> Also, most of the text is taken from Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. Kogouma, I hope this is fluffy enough for you.

“You know how much I love you?” Steve mumbled into Tony’s neck.

Tony hummed softly under his breath, slowly stretching under their warm blankets. “A lot?”

“So much.” Steve pressed a warm kiss to the side of Tony’s neck, nosing the spot a second later.

“So do I,” Tony said, stroking a hand down Steve’s back.

“Guess how much I love you,” Steve said, rolling over on top of Tony. Most of his weight remained supported on his arms, but Tony could feel every inch of his strength and warmth and reveled in it.

Tony ran his hands up Steve’s side, eventually interlacing his fingers behind his neck. “Is this a trick question?”

Steve dropped down to peck Tony’s lips. “This much,” he whispered against his lips.

“One kiss?”

“I love you as high as I can reach.” Steve pulled away from Tony, only to wiggle down and give Tony another kiss on the neck.

Tony craned his head back, giving Steve better access. “You’re kinda lying down here, buddy.”

“I love you all the way up to my toes.” Steve brushed a kiss against Tony’s collarbone, and then another right above the arc reactor.  “I love you as high as I can hop.”

Tony tried to pull Steve up to give him another kiss, but the other wouldn’t budge. “Is that supposed to be code for something?”

Steve pushed the blankets back as he continued to wiggle down the length of Tony’s body, kissing Tony’s side and rubbing a hand up the other side. “I love you all the way down to the lane as far as the river.”

Tony almost said there was no river or lane in sight, but Steve was leading up to something, so he kept quiet. But he didn’t look away from Steve’s eyes, and Steve didn’t look away from him.

Then, so gently that he might have been touching a butterfly, Steve pressed a soft kiss to Tony’s hip, right on the extraordinarily large and painful bruise he had gotten from their fight this morning against the Wrecking Crew. “I love you,” he whispered, “right up to the moon and back.”

Tony swallowed a painfully thick lump in his throat, eyes stinging. “Steve.” His voice cracked halfway through, and he tugged again at Steve, and this time the other moved.

“I love you,” Steve said again, right before taking in Tony’s unspoken  _I love you_  in an achingly sweet kiss.


	20. Mistletoe Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I have returned! I still have requests lined up for this story, and if you guys want to see more, just drop a review or an ask on tumblr to me and I'll see what I can do. :)
> 
>  **This one was requested by TheLilyReviewer, who admits that it's not Christmas but still wanted to see Steve and Tony under a mistletoe:** Okay, okay, I know it's nowhere NEAR Christmas, but what would happen if the Avengers (except Steve and Tony) put mistletoe all over the tower, then tried to get Tony and Steve in the same room? Pre-relationship is what I had in mind, but I leave that up to you. You are, after all, the one writing this.

There was snickering and what sounded like a stifled giggle coming from somewhere in the vents. Tony did not want to know why an assassin was giggling in the vents, but he had the suspicion that he was going to find out one way or another.

If only it didn’t have anything to do with his almost nonexistent pride (“almost” being the key word here because he was  _not_  a pushover, okay), but Tony wasn’t holding out hope or anything. He’d given up on that the fifth time Natasha had delivered a truly awful joke in a deadpan voice and then sauntered off while leaving Tony gaping after her.

And he’d thought  _Clint_  was going to be a jokester.

In any case, it was a few days to Christmas and practically everyone had convened on the penthouse floor because that was where all the fun tended to happen. There was an absolutely enormous tree propped up against the windows, and it was decorated with the gaudiest ornaments that the Avengers had managed to find. The worst decoration– a truly horrible looking cherub with rosy cheeks, a lecherous smirk, and a large diaper – that was the crowning jewel on top of the tree had actually been contributed by Steve.

No one had looked at him the same way afterwards.

It had also given Tony much mental fodder when it came to his imaginary conversations with Steve because it meant the guy had a sense of humor and knew how to use it. Which meant he was a man after Tony’s own heart, and Tony didn’t quite know what to do with that information.

He was really awful at relationships; just look at Pepper.

There was another muffled snicker from the vents and what sounded like metal clanging against metal, and if Natasha had gotten James up in there, Tony was going to have  _words_  with her. (Or not. He valued his dick, thank you very much.)

Stepping into the elevator that would take him down to the level where Pepper’s office was, Tony peered up at the ceiling to find a strand of mistletoe innocently sitting there. He narrowed his eyes at it, but it wasn’t giving up its secrets.

Well, it was Christmas, and mistletoe was just par for the course. It wasn’t like SI had any policies prohibiting stringing mistletoe up, and some overzealous employee had probably put it up hoping to get some poor schmuck under it.

Tony was not some poor schmuck.

But he also wasn’t a complete killjoy, so he left the mistletoe alone despite his better judgment and exited the elevator to go bug Pepper into possibly leaving work early so she could entertain him.

Half an hour later found Tony back in the elevator, having been ousted from the office by an eager Happy, who had come to take Pepper out on a  _date_. It was completely mind-boggling, not in the least because Tony hadn’t seen that coming at all.

Musing (and not pouting at all) over this new development, Tony entered his living room and flopped down on his very comfy sofa, stretching out on his back to contemplate the ceiling and life. He frowned only a moment later upon finding no less than five strands of mistletoe decorating the ceiling.

This was not the work of an overzealous employee…

There was no muffled snickering or giggling, but Tony just knew that if he could hear it, he would. Someone had put up mistletoe, and he’d put money on it being either Natasha or Clint; James seemed the type but was still too skittish.

Well, luckily there was no one else in the room. Tony would ordinarily jump at kissing his extraordinarily attractive teammates, but he had no desire to sour what were actually wonderful working relationships. (Yes, really, shut up, Rhodey.)

Not wanting to push his luck, Tony left the living room and headed for his workshop, which was guaranteed to be mistletoe-free, and not in the least because Dummy would happily set it all on fire. JARVIS had been given very strict instructions on that front, which meant that the only decoration the bots received was a metal contraption shaped like a tree. It still had some presents stuffed under it, none of which Tony had a hand in making or wrapping.

Several hours later, Tony just happened to crane his neck back to stretch it and found an innocuous piece of mistletoe hanging above the doorframe. The fact that it was in plain view of Dummy’s charging station made it all the stranger, especially since the bot had seemed particularly excited for some odd reason that was not at all mistletoe related.

Now slightly creeped out, Tony pulled the mistletoe down and stuffed it into a pocket, not wanting to trash it in the workshop for fear of Dummy setting fire to it and the rest of the room. He gave the room one last suspicious look before leaving.

The penthouse was still empty, so Tony went to the bar to pour himself a much needed drink. He soon regretted this decision when Steve came in three minutes later with a rather confused look on his face.

“I thought there was a party?” Steve asked, catching sight of a frozen Tony behind the bar.

Tony recovered quickly, not at all glancing up at the mistletoe. There was one right over Steve’s head. “Not that I’ve heard of. Why?”

“Bucky just told me to be here at this time because there’d be ‘food, girls, and other stuff,’” Steve said, using air quotes for the last part.

Tony snorted, his scotch nearly going down the wrong pipe. He set the glass down, wheezing as he brushed off Steve’s concern. “No, no… Just slightly perturbed that your friend has a sense of humor under all that stone. No girls allowed up here, except for lovely assassins and scientists with brains that make me very jealous.”

“Those were probably the girls Bucky was talking about,” Steve remarked dryly, nodding. His eyes skipped from the glass by Tony’s hand to his face. “So no party?”

“Nope.” Tony shrugged very casually, carefully not looking up because he knew full well there was a strand of mistletoe hanging over their heads right now. He was no way in  _hell_  kissing Steve. It would be very awkward, not in the least because Tony felt like jumping Steve’s bones 99% of the time anyway. Kissing wouldn’t help that feeling; Tony would probably maul him the moment they touched lips.

“Okay.” Steve nodded again, fingers rapping against the countertop. He took a moment before he spoke again. “Have you…seen anything…odd?”

“Not really,” Tony lied, still not looking up.

Steve’s brows pinched together in that worried manner that made Tony want to smooth the furrow out. “Okay.” He didn’t sound comforted.

“Have you?” Tony couldn’t resist asking.

“Probably nothing,” Steve said, “but I think someone showed Bucky the vents.”

“I knew it!” Tony promptly coughed when Steve gave him an alarmed look. “I mean, I thought I heard something that sounded like it.”

“So you have seen something weird,” Steve said.

“‘See,’ no,” Tony said, still lying through his teeth. “But you didn’t say anything about hearing.”

Steve rolled his eyes, a fond smile tugging at his lips. “Of course you’d use that as a loophole. Then have you heard anything else?”

“Lots of snickering,” Tony admitted, shrugging minutely. “I don’t want to know why.”

Much to Tony’s surprise, Steve turned a bit pink at that, his neck and ears flushing adorably. “Yeah, uh… Probably not.”

Tony raised his eyebrows questioningly, only to receive a slight headshake before Steve turned his focus to their ostentatious Christmas tree, which was now glowing brightly in rainbow-colored lights as the sun went down. It made the ugly cherub at the top even uglier.

“I don’t want to know where you got that thing,” Tony said eventually, gesturing to said cherub.

Steve gave him an amused smirk, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Probably not,” he agreed.

Ugh, was this man trying to kill Tony with cuteness here?

Fortunately, he was saved from dying from cute by the arrival of James, who gave the entire room a casual look before throwing himself down on the sofa and sprawling in what had to be the most inelegant manner Tony had ever seen. And  _this_  had been the Winter Soldier? He gave Steve a casual wave with his left arm (something which still made Tony squee in excitement whenever he got his hands on it) before pursing his lips and staring up at the ceiling like it was a painting.

Tony took the opportunity to pick up his drink, taking a long gulp from it before James very casually said, “You’re standing under mistletoe,” and then he was spluttering on the burn of scotch going down the wrong pipe and trying desperately not to choke on lack of air.  _Very attractive, Stark._

Steve had actually come around to help Tony out, patting him on the back while asking if he was okay.

“I’m fine,” Tony managed after a large gulp of water from the sink. “So fine.”

James, the little sneaky bastard, was staring at the two of them with an implacable expression on his face. “That wasn’t kissing,” he pointed out.

“No shit!” Tony smacked his hand into the skin above his reactor. His throat still burned, but at least he could breathe.

“There will be kissing,” James added, eyebrow quirked and arms folded across his chest. A shit-eating grin wouldn’t have been remiss at this point.

“Bucky!” Steve hissed, sounded utterly mortified, shooting his pal a warning glare.

“Just telling it like it is,” James said casually. “Unless the mistletoe custom’s changed?” He added a moment later, “And full-on macking – none of that cheek kissing stuff you like, Steve.”

“Bucky,” Steve groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Please stop.” The last two words were garbled.

“I have duct tape,” James said blandly, rubbing the fingers of his right hand across the red metal star of his left arm.

Oh  _fuck_. Between potentially mauling Steve because of a kiss or mauling Steve because they ended up being duct taped together thanks to his crazy friend, Tony was going to go for the kiss because at least then he could run away. That wasn’t possible with duct tape, not without ripping off several layers of skin and Tony  _liked_  his skin.

Pressing his lips together, Tony straightened and turned to face Steve. Steve was looking rather panicked now, eyes looking anywhere but at Tony, and that hurt more than Tony wanted to admit. Was it so reprehensible to kiss Tony?

“Sorry about this,” Tony murmured, reaching up a gentle hand to touch Steve’s jaw and angle his head appropriately, “but I’d rather not be duct taped to you for hours on end, no matter how cute you are.”

Before Steve could say something that would cement how much he did  _not_  want to kiss Tony, Tony pressed their lips together. He’d been going to keep it chaste regardless of James’s demands of “full-on macking” because otherwise there’d be full-blown sex happening right here, and it was totally going according to plan because his lips were on Steve’s and now all he had to do was pull back and—

Okay, that was more problematic than planned, because Steve’s arms had clamped around Tony’s body and now he was being pressed up against the bar and practically devoured. Steve was really  _going for it_.

Tony thought he heard James say something along the lines of “Okay, wow. Steve, man—”, but he was too busy losing his brain through his mouth by Steve sucking on his tongue in the absolutely filthiest way and pulling out a low moan before he could stop it.

“Have safe sex!” James shouted through the haze in Tony’s brain.

There was no way Tony could respond to that at the moment because Steve had just hitched his hands under Tony’s thighs and lifted him up to sit on the countertop. This changed their angle so that Steve was craning his head back and Tony could better run his fingers through that blond hair and tug.

This pulled out a really deep groan that rumbled through Steve’s chest and vibrated through Tony because they were really pressed up against each other, arc reactor to sternum, but Tony just didn’t care because  _holy shit Steve could kiss_.

Mistletoe was  _awesome_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! I, for one, couldn't stop grinning while writing Bucky being a little troll.


	21. Alternate Universe Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minty4Ever asked for an AU kiss and said she didn't really care how I did it. And after some brainstorming with marmotje, I came up with this.
> 
> Hope it meets expectations!

Tony couldn’t usually be found at coffee shops, preferring his own brew at home to that of cafés. But he’d had no choice this time given that Dummy had smashed  _all_  of his coffee machines (and he had no idea  _how_ ), and he  _needed_  his caffeine fix. So now he was sitting here, at a coffee shop, nursing what was probably the most disgusting cup of coffee he’d ever had, and it wasn’t even ten.

It was probably a Monday.

Sighing, Tony checked his phone, saw it was indeed a Monday (of fucking course), and then pulled out his extremely portable laptop to do some work while he was sitting in this really small coffee shop.

He checked his email, ignored the small commotion from the group at the next table, and then pulled up some plans R&D had forwarded him. He then promptly resisted the urge to hit something because the plans were absolutely  _horrible_  and who had put these idiots in charge?

Oh right. Him.

Grumbling in disgust and wrinkling his nose as he took another small sip of his deplorable coffee, Tony began marking up the entire plan in red, making mental notes as to what should be improved and when this thing actually needed to go into production. Thankfully there was still another month to go…

“Natasha, no!” someone hissed loudly enough for Tony to hear. He glanced over to see a cute blond gesturing frantically at his beautiful red-haired friend, who looked incredibly bored while sipping on her really foamy drink.

Shaking his head in reprimand at himself, Tony refocused on his plans.

Several minutes later, he heard someone else say, “Come on, Steve, it’ll be  _fun_ ,” in a tone that implied the speaker was grinning his ass off.

Curious, Tony flicked his eyes over, found the speaker to be a young dark-haired man with a metal arm who was indeed wearing the biggest grin Tony had ever seen that wasn’t on Rhodey’s face, and then looked down as his phone buzzed. Pepper had just informed him that a new order of coffee machines had been put in, but that they wouldn’t be in until next week because she thought it was a good thing for him to get out of the workshop and actually breathe air.

Mouth twisting into a scowl, Tony stuffed his phone back into his pockets and returned to marking up the plans with a vengeance. Whoever had come up with this travesty was going to be relegated to janitorial duties.

“No, but he looks  _mad_ ,” someone whispered.

“He’s cracked out the red pen, of course he’s mad,” someone else said dismissively.

“A dare’s a dare, Steve,” a sweet feminine voice said.

Even though he heard all that, Tony wasn’t paying it any attention. He was simply browsing through it and discarding it as useless information even as he scrawled NO WHAT WERE YOU THINKING all over the bottom of the plans. Then, vindictively pleased, he saved his work and sent it off to R&D. He’d no doubt get a seething text or call from Pepper telling him off in ten minutes but he didn’t care.

Snapping the lid of the laptop shut, Tony leaned back in his chair, disgusting coffee in hand.

“Excuse me,” he heard someone say.

Glancing to the side, Tony found himself face to face with the cute and skinny blond he’d seen at the other table. He had a nervous but determined expression on his face.

Tony opened his mouth, about to say that he didn’t do autographs, but then anything he could have said was promptly cut off as the blond planted one on him.

The coffee slipped through Tony’s suddenly lax fingers, hitting the floor and splashing up against his pants and shoes.

The blond actually slipped him some tongue, fingers squeezing around his neck for a brief moment before he pulled back, blushing scarlet, and then whirled on his heel and grabbed hold of his friend with the metal arm and pulled him out of his chair.

With a loud metal clatter, the chair fell over, toppling both of them to the floor, where they remained sprawled for several breathless seconds, their other two friends shaking their heads in dismay. Their dark-skinned friend actually glanced over at Tony with a smirk before he instantly backpedaled at the look on Tony’s face; he grabbed hold of the woman and skedaddled.

In another second, the metal-armed guy had also scrammed with a clear “Sorry, Steve!”, leaving only the blond – now named Steve – behind to blink up owlishly at Tony.

For his part, Tony was doing his very best not to look like a complete dumbstruck fool. He could still taste the atrocious coffee Steve had been drinking; it was even worse than his own.

“I’m so sorry,” Steve blurted out after another few seconds of staring. “It was a dare!”

Tony raised an eyebrow, wiping his thumb across his lips in consideration. Steve was kind of cute, and judging from the portfolio on the table he was an artist…

“Your kissing technique needs some work,” Tony said finally, hiding a smirk at Steve’s flabbergasted expression. “But I think that can be arranged if you’ll come back with me for an interview.”

“A kissing interview?” Steve asked faintly.

“For drawing,” Tony said cheerfully, packing his laptop up and standing smoothly. He stepped up next to Steve, grinning down at him. “But kissing can be arranged.”

Steve spluttered indignantly in response, but Tony was too busy grinning and ignoring the furiously buzzing phone in his pocket to mind. He had the feeling this was the start of a beautiful relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam, Bucky, and Natasha remain in disbelief that Tony Stark actually hired Steve on as an artist. They remain even more in disbelief after Tony asks Steve on a date.


	22. Arc Reactor Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in such sore need of fluffiness and happy times that I wrote this out while waiting in the theater for Mockingjay (which was a fantastic movie). An anonymous reviewer and marmotje asked for a kiss on the arc reactor.

It was always blue, always on. It even had its own humming sound, so soft that only Steve’s enhanced hearing could pick it up, and only in the silence of the night was that possible.

Tonight was one such night.

Steve couldn’t sleep, filled with too much of a restless energy that sought to push him on and on and _on_. But he was loathe to leave their bed and Tony’s comforting warmth against his skin.

So he lay on his side, eyes studying Tony’s sleeping face that was illuminated eerily in the blue light of that precious arc reactor.

Tony had his issues with the reactor, and while Steve hated the way it limited Tony’s breathing and compromised his lungs, he loved it for what it stood for: life. He had had far too many nightmares about that light going out and staying out no matter what Steve could do. As long as the light was on…Steve could be sure that Tony’s heart was beating.

He curled closer to Tony’s warmth, sliding an arm around Tony’s waist and tucking his hand under his hip. He rested his chin on Tony’s shoulder,  inhaling Tony’s reassuring scent that always had an undercurrent of electricity and coconut to it.

Tony stirred slightly at Steve’s movement. “Steve?” His voice was blurry with sleep.

“Go back to sleep, Tony.” Steve kept his voice quiet, his thumb stroking over the bone of Tony’s hip, feeling the contours.

Tony’s breathing evened out for a few seconds before he spoke again. “You’re doing that staring thing again, aren’t you.” The edges of the words were dulled with sleep, slurred slightly.

Steve slid down, pressing a gentle kiss to the cool glass of the arc reactor. Then he shifted back up, brushing his lips along Tony’s jaw. “Go back to sleep.”

“Okay, Edward.” Tony turned his head, his kiss more a press of lips into Steve’s hair than anything else. His breathing slipped back into the steady rhythm of sleep, and Steve settled down next to Tony, eyes on the reactor and ears tuned to that comforting humming sound.

Restless energy still buzzed under his skin, but it wasn’t so bad anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! :) I'll be writing out another of these tonight.


	23. Outer Space Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this isn't really fluff... Sorry... But fluff will return in the next one. Akayuki Novak asked for an "outer-space kiss," which _isn't_ too much to ask for. :D
> 
> Sorry if this wasn't really what you were thinking of!

 It was a mission doomed to failure from the outset. And they should never have done it. _Tony_ should never have let Steve do it.

But like always, Steve wouldn’t have listened to him. They were needed out here, and so out here they would go. They should’ve just let the Guardians of the Galaxy deal with the mess – that was their job after all – but given that it was happening right in their solar system and in plain view of Earth and in range of humanity’s satellites…

Well…the Avengers had been called in. But most of them were earth-side. It was just Steve and Tony out here because Tony had refused to let Steve go up here alone (or with a motley group of _aliens_ that no one knew with him). James had almost come up with Steve, but Steve had insisted that James was needed on Earth.

In Tony’s opinion, Steve was needed on Earth, but apparently Steve didn’t think so. So here they were. In outer space. Fighting evil aliens. Again.

And it was going badly. It was going so badly.

Tony was in a space-worthy Iron Man suit, one that protected him from the vacuum of space. It was probably the safest thing out here but for the Milano, Peter Quill’s ship, and the gigantic mothership of the aliens they were fighting. The mothership was probably even safer considering how large it was.

And Steve…

Steve was in a smaller ship that he’d hijacked from the aliens after breaking into and out of the mothership. It had been an infiltration mission with Steve and Gamora at the helm, but somewhere down the line it had gone so horribly wrong, and instead of Rocket’s and Tony’s little present blowing the ship up, Steve and Gamora had been made and had to escape.

That had been scant minutes ago, and Tony was having difficulties keeping track of Steve’s ship, busy as he was with making sure no aliens got past him and to Earth.

All he could do was keep his intercom wide open and listen to the Guardians argue and Steve calmly list off status reports. It was a very good thing that the Guardians had let Steve be in charge of tactics for the most part; he was the most mature and level-headed of all of them (and Tony would _tell_ him this if – _when_ they got back alive).

One moment he was firing repulsor blasts and spiraling past flying aliens and the next there was a sudden fizzle of static and a rush of energy that buffeted his suit, followed by a brief explosion of fire that was extinguished in seconds in the vacuum of space.

The intercom was silent for all of a second before Quill started speaking, desperation and panic in his tone. Everyone responded except for one.

Steve.

Panicking, Tony turned his sensors to where he’d last pinpointed Steve’s pod and found nothing.

Gamora’s voice was calm as she explained that Steve’s pod had exploded, and she had no eyes on him.

No, _no_.

It was a no-brainer for Tony. He left his post and flew into the melee, desperately searching for any sign of Steve.

All he found was wreckage and debris of alien ships and corpses.

His breath came in short, panicky bursts, and he could barely hear the shouting of the Guardians in his intercom over the pounding of his heart. He cut the intercom off, focusing most of the power of the suit into its sensors and trying to isolate Steve’s life signs.

Nothing, nothing, a dying alien in its last throes (like Steve _– no don’t think that DON’T_ ), nothing, _there_!

Steve floated there in the midst of the carnage, conscious but fading. The HUD found his vitals rapidly deteriorating, and a constant stream of oxygen escaping Steve’s nose, as per the briefing they’d gone through for what to do if they were _ever_ exposed to a vacuum or stuck in it (don’t hold your breath despite popular belief).

Tony cut most of the thruster power and glided over to Steve, grabbing hold of an outstretched hand and yanking Steve close, wrapping an arm around him before firing his other gauntlet and boots and turning around for the Milano and _air_.

He couldn’t risk exposing himself to space. Steve was superhuman; he could hold on for a little longer (please, _please_ ).

It took too long for him to maneuver his way through the debris of the battle and find the Milano, which was also fighting with what firepower it had. Steve was terrifyingly limp in his hold, and only the HUD’s lock on Steve’s faintly beating heart saved Tony from panicking.

The hatch of the Milano opened before Tony even reached it, Rocket or Groot obviously having taken note of his approach and prepared. He dropped gracelessly into the ship, clattering heavily to the metal grating and letting Steve down, throwing his helmet off seconds later, heedless of where it fell.

He was too busy desperately repeating Steve’s name, checking his pulse and his temperature and whether he was breathing.

Groot was there, silently offering Tony something that would give Steve oxygen, and Tony grabbed it, putting it to Steve’s mouth and begging _– praying_ – that it would work, that he hadn’t been too late—

When Steve’s chest lifted under his hand, Tony’s breath hitched. When Steve blinked his eyes open, meeting Tony’s after only a brief second of disorientation, Tony found himself crying, unable to stop the desperately relieved tears.

He shouldn’t – _Stark men didn’t cry_ – but he _couldn’t help it_ , and Steve was reaching up to touch Tony’s cheek, gloved fingers gentle on his skin. He reached up with the other hand, pulling the lifesaving oxygen device away from his mouth and seeming about to say something, only for Tony to smash their lips together in one of the messiest and most graceless kisses he had ever participated in.

But he didn’t care.

Steve was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? No one died! And they kick the aliens' asses and go home.
> 
> Have a kiss you really want to see? [Prompt me](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/ask)!


	24. A** Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Animateia said “asskissing came to mind” when they were reading this, so here it is. Though it might not be what you had in mind when you suggested that. (Come on, what’s the first thing that pops into mind when you think about that?)
> 
> In any case, this was also inspired by my search for an iPhone case yesterday and this one article I found on the 7 most expensive phone cases. This exists.

“Oh my God,” Clint said, half-strangled, “what. Is. _That_.”

Steve didn’t immediately respond, too busy staring at the thing himself with no small amount of disbelief and a faint sense of horror.

Natasha hummed thoughtfully, picking it up and moving it from side to side in the light. “It looks like a StarkPhone case.”

“Why are there so many stones.” Bucky had a peculiar expression on his face. “Why is there a _dragon_.”

“Are those rubies?” Sam bent down to get a closer look, moving Natasha’s hands.

“I think those are tsavorite,” Natasha said clinically, giving the case to Sam.

“It is very shiny,” Thor said generously, lips twitching.

“Shiny’s one word for it,” Clint said. “‘Butt ugly’ is another.”

“How much is this?” Sam looked at Steve questioningly. “If I’m not mistaken, these are actual diamonds.”

“Those are rubies,” Natasha said. “And sapphires and emeralds. All real.”

“Estimated value…” Clint eyeballed the ostentatious looking case speculatively. “I’d put it somewhere by nine hundred thousand.”

Sam stared at the case. “Dollars?”

“No, rupees.” Clint rolled his eyes. “Yes, dollars.”

“Holy shit,” Sam said faintly, setting the case down carefully like it would break if it was mishandled.

“So the question is who bought that and gave it to you as a present,” Clint continued, looking at Steve. “But I think the answer to that’s probably obvious.”

Steve took the case in hand, making sure to grip it carefully because _nine hundred thousand dollars Jesus Christ_. “I’m going to go.”

“Good luck.” Sam gave him a thumbs up.

“If you don’t want it,” Bucky said, “can I have it?”

Steve gave him a disapproving look, to which Bucky only grinned in response. Rolling his eyes, Steve left, fully intending on asking Tony just what he had been thinking with this completely…ridiculous present.

He found Tony soldering away at something with Dummy at his elbow, the helper bot drooped in disappointment with a magnifying glass clutched in his claw.

“Tony.” Steve couldn’t stop the affection from leaking into his voice, even though he was _upset_.

Tony stopped soldering long enough to look over his shoulder to see Steve. He set the soldering iron down to push his goggles up, grinning brightly at Steve. “What brings you down here?”

“This.” Steve came over to put the ugly and extremely expensive phone case down on the table, careful not to scratch it.

“Hey, it came!” Tony picked it up, clever fingers running over the valuable jewels making up the dragon’s head.

It took Steve a moment too long to force his eyes off those fingers and to Tony’s face. “What is that?” He kept his tone even.

Tony paused in his motions, blinking up at Steve. “It’s a phone case. For your phone.”

“I guessed as much. But _why_ did you get me that – that thing. Clint said it’s worth nine hundred thousand dollars. I can’t use something like that, Tony. Why did you even think it was a good idea?”

Tony’s eyes skittered away, and his shoulders hunched. “You, uh…” His lips twisted in that way Steve hated to see. “I thought you’d like it,” he said finally.

“Do I look like the kind of guy who likes fancy phone cases?” Steve made sure his tone was gentle, regretting it only when Tony’s eyes snapped to his, hurt barely concealed within their depths.

“It’s art,” Tony said. “You like art.”

“I do like art,” Steve agreed, “but not this kind. It’s ostentatious and hard to hide. How would I be able to carry my phone around?”

Tony lifted one shoulder in a small shrug, putting the extremely expensive phone case down and folding his arms across his chest. He didn’t say anything.

“Look,” Steve sighed a moment later, stepping forward into Tony’s space. “I’m not mad, Tony. But I wish you’d talk to me before buying something so expensive. It’s not even my birthday.”

Tony’s chin dropped to his chest. “I forgot that, too.”

“You think I care?” Steve reached out to rest his hands on Tony’s elbows, fingers curling gently around them. “I know what you’re like, Tony. And I know you care, even if you show it in weird ways like buying really expensive phone cases that I can’t use.”

“I’m an ass,” Tony muttered, not meeting Steve’s eyes.

“No.” Steve ducked down to look Tony in the eyes. “You’re my sweetheart. You just behave strangely sometimes.”

“You don’t like it.”

“I don’t understand it. But that doesn’t matter. I love you regardless. I just want you to ask me ahead of time before splurging nearly a million dollars on a phone case when the phone’s already nigh indestructible. I’m afraid to touch that thing.”

Tony was silent for a moment, gaze shuttering. “I’m sorry,” he said eventually, arms dropping to his sides. “I really thought you’d like it; you’d been looking at it earlier.”

“What?” Steve was confused for a few seconds before remembering. “No, Tony, I was Googling something and an article on the most expensive phone cases popped up. I found it too ridiculous not to pass up, plus I really wanted to see how bad it was. Did you really get it because you snuck a peek at my Internet search history?”

“Yes,” Tony admitted, gaze averted.

Laughing, Steve pressed in for a kiss, ignoring the startled jump from Tony. “Next time,” he said, pulling away, “just ask me, okay? But I don’t need presents. All I need is you.”

Tony cracked a smile. “You’re ridiculously cheesy, Steve.”

“You like it.” Steve smiled at him, kissing him again and sliding his arms around Tony to pull him into his body. When he drew back this time, he said softly, “Besides, that thing is really ugly.”

“Oh, you think so, too?” Tony looked relieved. “It hurt my soul getting that thing, Steve.”

Steve stared at Tony disbelievingly for several seconds before snorting and pushing in to kiss him, but he was unable to stop himself from laughing into Tony’s mouth.

“Yeah, yeah.” But there was a smile in Tony’s voice, and his fingers curled into Steve’s hair, keeping him there.

It was all Steve needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! :) If you have a kiss you want to see, feel free to [prompt me](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/ask)!


	25. Accidental Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Latina shewolf asked for an accidental kiss. And aside from redoing that scene from _Friends_ , this popped in my head.

It was a little known fact that Tony Stark without coffee was incapable of dealing with people. As in his brain just didn’t compute anything that wasn’t his work or any errant thoughts running through it. Anything else was shifted to the side as unimportant or imagined.

The only people who knew this little tic of Tony’s were Pepper, Rhodey, and JARVIS. Dummy and his brothers knew as well, but as they shamelessly used Tony without coffee to their advantage, they didn’t count.

Tony’s little team had no idea what he was like without coffee. Mainly because he had yet to show them and also because he kept himself to his workshop or bedroom during those times. (Not that Tony really had any idea just how _bad_ he was; he generally treated his hazes before coffee as dreams.)

So it was months after the team moved in that they got a taste of Tony before his coffee in the morning firsthand.

Tony had come up from a short power nap in his workshop that hadn’t really done much for his weariness. So now he was upstairs in the kitchen, intending on snagging some water before he headed off to bed to get some proper sleep. It was the morning, but he kept weird hours.

Tony hadn’t really expected the people in his kitchen, and the entire scene had such an air of surrealism to it that he doubted it was really happening at all. It was just like him to dream of happy team times. (And Steve _smiling_ at him.)

“Morning, Tony,” Steve said, still giving him that _smile_.

Tony didn’t say anything, but he did blink at him speculatively. This was definitely a dream.

Because only in a dream would Thor be wearing _My Little Pony_ pajamas. Tony had more pictured him sleeping in the nude.

Also, Steve’s friend James seemed less inclined than usual, to murder people, instead conversing with Natasha in quiet tones.

So if this was a dream…

Tony went up to Steve and placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning down to kiss that smile.

Steve made a sort of startled squeak, his lips parting in surprise. Shamelessly taking advantage of the opportunity, Tony got a good taste of how Steve tasted in the morning. Which was surprisingly like pancakes.

Humming happily, Tony drew back and planted one last kiss on Steve’s nose.

Then he ruffled that ridiculous blond hair and left, intending on finishing this dream on a good note and not risk it turning into a nightmare.

This was definitely one he’d be trying to remember. His lips were still tingling.


	26. Pre-Serum Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for Minty4ever, who wanted a kiss with Steve in his pre-serum body. I had some fun with this one (but not the title, gahhh). And who can spot the Easter egg?

“This will reverse,” Thor reassured Steve, who did not look at all reassured by the words.

“Oh yeah?” Steve groused, his deep voice kind of hilarious now that it was coming from such a small body. “You sure about that?”

“I may not have my brother’s aptitude in magic, but I know enough to sense things such as this.” Thor smiled reassuringly down ( _down_!) at Steve.

“Why’d he even do this?” Tony asked, leaning back against the table in Bruce’s lab, where they’d been running the tests on Steve after he’d been turned back into his original body by Loki. “And _how_? He’s supposed to be locked up!”

Not to mention Loki had fucking _winked_ at him after snapping his fingers and turning Steve into his skinny self. Then he’d disappeared and hadn’t been seen since. There had been no property damage. Just Loki showing up in their kitchen, stealing Tony’s plate, and casting his spell.

It didn’t really seem like Loki.

“He is,” Thor said, frowning now. “I will send word to Asgard.”

“This seems a little tame for Loki,” Natasha said, arms folded across her chest.

“He oft played pranks such as this in our younger days,” Thor said, brow furrowing in what looked like pain.

“So he’s regressing,” Clint guessed. “Great. Means I can get my arrows out and wait for him to show up again.”

“There will be no shooting at Loki,” Thor said disapprovingly.

Steve’s jaw was set, his eyes on the floor. The shirt he’d been wearing that morning was too big for his now skinny frame, but it didn’t make him any less attractive to Tony, who had been harboring a bright ( _very_ bright) torch for the guy since getting to know him.

“Fine.” Clint had a mulish expression on his face that meant there _would_ be shooting at Loki the next time he showed up, hang the consequences. Judging from Thor’s face, he knew this as well.

“I’m gonna go to my floor,” Steve said, not looking at anyone as he left.

The others looked at Tony for all of several seconds before he realized that they expected him to follow and make sure Steve was fine.

“I don’t do feelings,” Tony protested.

“Too bad,” Natasha said, unimpressed. “You’re doing them now.”

“Steve’s gonna listen to you,” Clint said, smirking now.

“Give him this,” Bruce said, tossing Tony an asthma inhaler. “Just in case.”

“He’s going to punch me in the face,” Tony said, sighing, wrapping his fingers around the asthma inhaler.

“No, he won’t,” Clint disagreed. “He likes you too much for that.”

“Ha ha.” Tony rolled his eyes, leaving before anyone else could nag him into doing something that he’d been going to do anyway.

Steve hadn’t locked access to his floor, which Tony took as a good sign. He found Steve sitting on his couch, staring down at his hands. The shirt was a tent on his small frame, and his pants not much better.

“Hey, Steve.” Tony sat down next to him, keeping the inhaler in plain sight. “Bruce wanted me to give this to you.”

Steve took a moment to respond, eyes turning to the small medical device. “Thanks.”

Tony put the thing on the coffee table, painfully aware of the awkwardness between them that hadn’t been there in months. “No problem.”

The silence that fell now was just as tense as their stilted conversation had been.

It took all of Tony’s willpower not to say something incredibly crass and insensitive.

So it came as a great relief when Steve sighed and broke the silence. “I never wanted to feel this way again.”

Tony looked at Steve out of the corner of his eye. “Sick, you mean?”

“Weak.” Steve flipped his hands over, studying them. “Nothing special.”

Tony frowned. “Steve—”

“There’s no chance now,” Steve said seemingly inanely.

“For what?” Tony asked when nothing else was forthcoming. Because _what_? No chance for _what_?

Steve looked up at him, blue eyes shining with that familiar strength that was all him. “For this.” And he leaned in, pressing his lips to Tony’s in a dry kiss that sent tingles down Tony’s spine and heat churning in his stomach. When he drew back, Steve had a self-deprecating smile on his face. “I just wanted to try it once,” he said quietly.

And _screw that_. Tony twisted, fisting his hands in Steve’s collar, hauling him in for another, _proper_ kiss. Several seconds into it, his hands drifted up to cradle Steve’s face, and one of them was making noises, but he didn’t know who it was.

“I’ve wanted you for _months_.” Tony punctuated the words with smaller kisses.

Steve’s hands were on Tony’s waist. “Not like this,” he protested, but the words lost most of their strength with how he was nipping at Tony’s lips, sending small shivers of excitement through Tony. “Not—”

“Anyway you are,” Tony insisted. “That’s all I want. You’re gorgeous all the time, Steve.”

Steve’s brow was furrowed. “I’m tiny.”

“So? I like”—bit soon for the _other_ l-word—“you for who you are. Not how you look. I’m not that shallow.”

Steve’s eyes studied Tony’s face, something like hope in them. “And if I’m stuck like this?”

“I don’t care.” Tony shrugged. “The suit doesn’t make Captain America. The guy under the mask does, serum or no serum.”

There was no response from Steve, but his lips on Tony’s got the message across well enough.

Tony leaned back, pulling Steve down with him until he was lying flat on his back, Steve on top of him.

He wasn’t really conscious of anything outside the absolutely fantastic necking going on and the little sighs and noises Steve was making into his mouth.

So he was just a little surprised when instead of a slight weight on top of him, suddenly he had over two hundred pounds of super soldier squashing him into the couch.

Steve startled seconds after Tony noticed, pulling away instantly and falling ungracefully off the couch, his eyes wide.

Tony stared at him, lips tingling and skin cold from where Steve’s warmth was no longer pressing against him. He wanted Steve back but—

Was that a note? That hadn’t been there before.

Tony reached over Steve’s shoulder to pick the note up from the coffee table and look at it. The writing was in fancy green script.

_The heart makes the man, Steven. Do be careful of Anthony’s. I know where you live._ There was no signature, but it was obvious as to who had written it.

Tony and Steve looked at each other, identical expressions of confusion and _what the fuck_ on their faces.

“Did Loki just threaten to hurt me if I hurt you?” Steve asked eventually, tone disbelieving.

“No, did he just play _matchmaker_?” Tony read the note again, looking for any kind of trick but finding none.

“We should tell Thor,” Steve said, eyes flickering to the note and back to Tony’s face, or more specifically to his lips.

“We should,” Tony agreed. “Or maybe we could just stay here and make out?” His tone was hopeful.

Steve hesitated, glancing to the slip of paper Tony was still holding.

“It’s not like we’re going to catch him,” Tony tried again.

It took Steve several minutes, during which he looked at Tony’s lips five times for periods of fifteen seconds each. “But we’re telling Thor,” he said finally, voice husky.

“Yeah, sure.” Tony threw the note over Steve’s shoulder, only distantly registering it fluttering to land on the table. “C’mere.”

Steve’s eyes darkened. “Not on top of you.”

“Fine, yes, come _here_.”

On top or under him, Tony didn’t really care. But there were a lot more positions possible for him on top of someone with super strength, and Tony had a very creative imagination.

And much to his delight, Steve was highly appreciative of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who spotted the Easter egg? It's probably obvious...
> 
> Want a kiss? [Prompt me](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/ask)! :)


	27. The Possessive Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was already on my list thanks to IrishEyes months ago, but then Latina shewolf and Fi Suki Saki added their own requests for something similar, so now we have this. (It was up next anyway.)

“This is an infiltration mission,” Natasha said. “And that means disguises.”

“I shouldn’t be the one going with you,” Tony objected for the fifth time since Fury had tossed the file their way and designated Natasha and Tony as the infiltrators.

“You know how to play the game,” Natasha said. “So do I. Clint doesn’t.”

“Give me a dirty bar and I’m your man,” Clint said cheerfully. “But this isn’t my thing.”

Tony met Steve’s eyes. “What about Steve?”

Steve shrugged, smiling apologetically. “I don’t know business. You’ve complained about that often enough.”

“You’re not wiggling your way out of this,” Natasha said, running fingers through Tony’s dark hair. “You could pull off blond…”

“Yeah, no.” Tony brushed Natasha’s hand off. “I know enough sleazy businessmen who are blond that it’d be really creepy for me.”

“Sleazy’s good,” Natasha said, smirking. She took Tony’s face in hand and peered at it. “But the goatee has to go.”

Tony scowled at her. “Not happening.”

“Your signature style is a goatee,” Natasha pointed out, unruffled. “It’s too recognizable. Shave it off and dye your hair and we’ll be good to go.”

Tony slapped Natasha’s hands off. “There’s a reason I have one.”

“Because it brightens up your sex life?” Clint asked.

Steve averted his eyes as Tony grinned at him, unable to stop himself from blushing. The facial hair was nice, but it was just another characteristic of Tony. The beard burn didn’t even bother him, his healing as advanced as it was.

“Shave,” Natasha told Tony. “I’ll bring you some hair dye.”

Tony returned his gaze to her. “And if I don’t?”

“This mission is time sensitive.” Natasha smiled beatifically at him. “I can do you myself.”

Tony took a step back. “Okay, fine. Point taken. Hands off the merchandise.”

Clint snickered. “This should be good.”

Although Steve wished Tony didn’t have to do this, he had to mentally agree with Clint. He’d always wondered what his partner looked like without his facial hair, and his artistic eye was already picturing Tony with blond hair.

This should be great.

* * *

Two hours later, Steve found himself rapidly revisiting and revising his earlier assessment. Even Natasha seemed taken aback at how Tony looked now, and she was rarely surprised.

Blond hair on Tony looked good, although his darker eyebrows seemed slightly out of place. But it was the lack of facial hair that really threw Steve, because Tony looked so _young_ without it. Young and gorgeous. Steve’s fingers itched to trace that skin and feel it.

“This feels weird.” Tony fidgeted, rubbing a hand over smooth skin.

“You look strange,” Thor observed neutrally.

“You look like a _baby_ ,” Clint blurted out.

“Gee, thanks, Katniss.” Tony dropped his hand. “I told you there was a reason I don’t shave.”

“So it wasn’t because of vanity.” Natasha had recovered and was running critical eyes up Tony’s figure, which was sharply dressed in a gorgeous fitting suit that made Steve’s skin feel tight just looking at it.

Not now. Tony would let him take it off later. _In private_.

But privacy was a long time off, because first they had to make it through the evening. It was a big event in France, and it was one of the guests that they had to keep an eye on. Tony and Natasha were the two who would be mingling and interacting with the guests. Steve and Clint were to stay in the background and keep an eye on them. Neither of them was easily recognizable, their faces part of the crowd.

Though Tony would probably snicker at Steve calling himself _average_ , it was true. There were any number of blond-haired blue-eyed men out there. But a man like Tony was singular; Steve hadn’t seen one like him before, and he was so selfishly glad that only he got to see Tony intimately now. The world had Tony in the public, but Steve knew who he really was.

In any case, now that they were actually in attendance, Steve kept a close eye on Natasha and Tony even as he kept a careful distance between them. He was thankful that he wasn’t posing as a waiter like Clint, who had already been groped and fondled several times by drunk men. The women just followed him, eyes lingering on his arms and ass.

Steve could objectively admit that Clint had a nice ass, but couldn’t they leave him alone? Clint was obviously working, even if it wasn’t the job people here thought it was.

Steve’s attention returned to Tony when he heard him laughing, his head thrown back. Natasha was smiling, one hand resting on Tony’s chest. They were talking to the mark, a man who didn’t suspect anything was amiss.

Steve flitted around them, nursing a glass of champagne just to seem like he was doing something. He came to a stop by the wall soon enough, continuing to keep an eye on them.

And then Natasha leaned in to kiss Tony, and Steve’s grip tightened on the delicate flute of the champagne glass, shattering it.

He barely noticed the mess, too busy trying to deal with the unfamiliar feeling of _jealousy_ that surged up in him.

Clint appeared next to him, wrapping a towel around his hand. “Jeez, Steve, we’re supposed to be _discreet_.”

“Sorry,” Steve murmured on reflex, though he wasn’t really sure what he was apologizing for. His mind was still replaying that kiss.

Logically he knew that Natasha and Tony had an image to sell. But his emotions didn’t care about that.

Tony wasn’t _his_ to keep, he _knew_ that, but that didn’t stop him from feeling possessive. Steve had so little to hold onto; was it so bad if he clung to the little that he did have?

He shouldn’t be jealous of a perfunctory kiss that was nothing more than keeping cover – he _shouldn’t_ – but he _was_.

There was nothing he could do about it anyway. Not without jeopardizing the mission. And he was a professional, no matter what Clint was muttering under his breath as he cleaned up the mess Steve had caused.

He was a professional, Steve reminded himself whenever Natasha was too handsy and Tony reciprocated her advances.

He was a professional, he repeated to himself when they kissed again.

Then it was over, and they could leave. Steve and Clint left ten minutes after Tony and Natasha, making sure that everything was clear before they followed. Although he was jittery with nerves, Steve made sure he did his job properly. He was a _professional_.

Even if he didn’t really feel like one at the moment.

And it was a hard thing to remind himself of as they went through debrief and he kept his eyes off Tony. Fury’s reaction upon seeing Tony had been hilarious because he’d almost not recognized him considering his blond hair and lack of facial hair. But Tony had blown him an air kiss and winked, which was all Fury needed to assuage any doubts about this being Tony.

Debrief went quickly and agonizingly slowly all at once. Steve couldn’t wait to get Tony alone, and it was getting to be increasingly difficult to keep his eyes and hands off him since Tony was sitting _right next to him_. In that _suit_.

So it wasn’t really Steve’s fault that he was having trouble paying attention to the debrief. Because he tried, really, but his attention kept skittering whenever Tony gestured, spoke, grinned, or _played footsie with Steve under the table_.

Yeah, Steve couldn’t be held responsible for not remembering what happened.

When they were finally dismissed and back home, Steve took one look at a shamelessly grinning Tony before picking him up, getting a loud whistle from Clint and a boisterous laugh from Thor before he left for their bedroom, desperate for some privacy.

“Why, hel _lo_ , Captain.” Tony grinned up at him, eyes bright under the mop of blond hair that he would be sporting for several weeks unless he dyed it back. “Impatient, are we?”

“You know exactly what you do to me,” Steve said, straddling Tony’s lap. He ran fingers over Tony’s clean-shaven cheeks, finally assuaging the desire to do just that since first seeing him like this.

Tony’s voice was low as he said, “Remind me?”

“I’ll remind you,” Steve said, running one hand down Tony’s front and slowly untucking his dress shirt from his pants. “Were you thinking of me when you kissed Natasha?” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of Tony’s throat, feeling his pulse fluttering under his lips.

Tony arched under his hands, his own hands clenched tightly in Steve’s jacket. “I always think of you.”

“Good.” Steve searched out his lips, chasing out the faint taste of anything that wasn’t Tony and reasserting his claim.

He was a professional, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Steve, you're a complete professional. Not that Tony's complaining.


	28. Lazy Morning Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow I missed this prompt from Kogouma while I was going through requests from months ago. Anyway, this was one of my favorites to write. *rolls around in fluff*

Tony hated mornings. As in, he _despised_ them. There was nothing great about mornings. Particularly Monday mornings.

No, the best mornings were on the weekends when he could keep the curtains closed and keep Steve in bed by pinning him to the mattress. It didn’t really work because Steve could lift him up easily, but thankfully Steve indulged him and let himself be used as a body pillow for a few more hours.

In any case, Tony Did Not Like Mornings (and, yes, that deserved all the capitalization in the world).

But…well…there were some times where he did have to – however reluctantly – concede that mornings had every other part of the day beat. They were the only time of day when he would be feeling comfortably fuzzy and warm next to Steve. They were also the only time of day when he could actually try to get away with keeping Steve in bed just that _little bit_ longer.

So no matter how much Tony didn’t really like mornings, there were some days when he didn’t curse the morning sun and want the darkness of two A.M. to come back.

Today was one such morning, not that Tony knew it while he was slowly waking up. He was sprawled over Steve, the blankets askew like always, his face tucked into the crook of Steve’s neck. He could feel and hear Steve breathing, and his heartbeat was a reassuring rhythm under Tony’s hand.

Shifting, Tony hummed lightly against Steve’s sleep-warm skin, brushing his lips against the arch of Steve’s neck.

Steve moved under his ministrations, stroking a hand down Tony’s back. “Hey.” His voice sounded just as sleepy as Tony felt.

Tony didn’t really respond beyond humming again, considering if he should go through the effort to move or just lie here on top of Steve. Finally, moving in favor of looking at Steve won out because it was _Steve_.

One foot edged down Steve’s leg, toes curling against Steve’s ankle, and Tony slowly moved to the side, smiling sleepily up at Steve, who was already smiling back, his eyes crinkled in that way Tony always wanted to see.

“Morning.” Tony kept his voice soft, not wanting to break the spell of silence.

Steve rolled over, sliding Tony off and tucking his arm around Tony to haul him closer, pressing their lips together in a dry kiss. “Morning,” he whispered, pecking him again.

“Stay?” Tony’s hand on Steve’s hip flexed.

He could feel Steve smiling against his lips, and there was another achingly soft kiss that sent tingles down Tony’s spine. “Always.”


	29. Surprise Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt by Kogouma. Although Fi Suki Saki prompted something similar yesterday, which is funny considering this was already in the queue. *shuffles away*

It had been a rather ordinary day. Albeit a rather crappy one thanks to a mess R&D had made. In any case, it was just like any other day since Tony had invited the Avengers to live with him in the newly named Avengers Tower. But this time he was complaining to Steve about R&D because he was the only person there to lend a sympathetic ear to Tony’s plight.

So there Tony was, gesturing wildly and complaining about the idiots in R&D that _he_ sure hadn’t hired, and he was going to go and complain to Pepper because obviously standards had fallen because they couldn’t even get the newest phone prototype out on time, never mind that it was only slightly tweaked from the _last_ model.

And he was on a roll, like he usually was, and most of the time no one really listened to him when he was on one of these rolls. JARVIS sort of did, but then he was also Tony’s creation. Rhodey and Pepper started off listening but then gradually moved onto doing something else while Tony continued talking.

Steve was different. He actually paid attention from start to finish, and it was one of the reasons that Tony liked talking to him. He never got the impression that he was boring Steve, and oftentimes Steve had something intelligent or insightful to say that would give Tony a sudden idea and have him haring off to do it.

The point was that Tony _liked_ talking to Steve (at Steve, whatever). It was a normal part of his day by now, just like finding arrows or knives stuck in odd places or tripping over Mjölnir in the dead of the night because Thor was too lazy to put his hammer away.

So Tony sat down by Steve, talking a mile a minute and eventually going for his phone to further bring the point home that they were all _idiots_ —

Steve was kissing him.

As in…kissing him?

Tony’s brain stuttered, attempted to reboot, failed, and then rebooted again, this time successfully.

It was a graceless kiss, and Steve’s eyes were screwed shut, his lips pressed messily to Tony’s. Stunned, Tony just sat there, blinking as his struggling brain tried and failed to comprehend what was happening.

As quickly as it had started, it ended. Steve pulled away, eyes averted and blushing furiously, taking off like the hounds of hell were at his heels.

So…not a normal day after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve, honey, you don't kiss and run. Especially not if the other person had no time to react.
> 
> And in the background, Pepper and Rhodey have just won the betting pool because everyone else bet on Tony making the first move.


	30. Surprise Kiss Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many people asked for a continuation of the last one where Tony ambushes Steve instead and plants one on him that I did it. :D And bumped it up to first on the list because otherwise it won't make sense.

It took Tony about fifteen minutes to properly reboot his brain because nowhere in his wildest dreams had he ever expected _that_. All his off-the-cuff calculations had put the probability of something like this happening at less than 0.05%, which was so statistically insignificant that he’d discarded the possibility altogether and just resigned himself to a lifetime of contently sitting next to Steve and talking.

With the occasional hug and handshake because that was how Steve rolled.

So this…threw him for a loop.

Which meant it took him an unjustifiably long time to decide what to do about it. He couldn’t just have Steve run off thinking that Tony _didn’t_ want him, because Tony did. Badly.

But it wasn’t very likely that Steve would listen to him now. Which meant he had to plan this carefully to make sure it worked.

And Tony was _very_ good at planning. Really.

So he set up a bouquet of flowers to be sent to Steve’s floor (since one couldn’t go wrong with flowers). Then he set up a reservation at a nice restaurant that Steve would like. It wouldn’t be too much to hope for a date after all…

That evening, once the Avengers convened for dinner and Steve was in the kitchen getting water, Tony slipped in after him and cornered him to the fridge, grinning up at him when Steve turned, eyes wide in alarm and mouth open as if to apologize.

Tony cut it off before it could come, fisting his hands in Steve’s shirt and pulling him down to give him a _proper_ kiss. And this time he could enjoy it, focusing on Steve’s warmth, the way he tasted distantly of vinegar and spices, and also (best of _all_ ) how Steve melted into him, winding an arm around Tony’s waist to pull them together.

Tony had meant to keep the kiss short and sweet, just like the one from the morning, but his brain soon skittered off and went into hibernation, leaving only enough running for him to process Steve’s solid strength and warmth against and around him.

It was amazing, and he never wanted it to stop.

And why did it have to?

Tony wound his hands into Steve’s hair, enjoying the soft feel of it in his fingers. He pressed Steve against the cool metal of the fridge, pushing a leg between Steve’s and pressing up closer, thrilling in the small moan he pulled out of Steve with the movement and way the other hitched ever so slightly into his body.

This—

Tony’s brain lit up into brilliant equations for all of a second before crashing hard when Steve’s hands slipped down to his ass and slipped into his back pockets, cupping a good feel directly before he pulled up and drew Tony even closer.

Yes, flowers…

Not…a normal day…

When was that reservation again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the meantime, JARVIS has very politely sectioned the kitchen off, and the rest of the team has agreed not go into the kitchen again unless they're sure it's been thoroughly bleached and disinfected.


	31. Kiss on the Back of the Neck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kogouma requested a kiss on the back of the neck (perhaps obvious from the title). I make no apologies for the fluff that will follow. Consider it an advance payment for the small amount of angst that may work its way into the next one.

It was late, and Steve had just finished a mission with Natasha. The mansion was quiet as he slipped through the rooms, seeking out his own.

The room was dark when he entered, not even the familiar blue light there to illuminate the space. It took Steve’s eyes a few seconds to adjust for him to see why, and then a small, helpless smile pulled at his lips.

Tony had fallen asleep swaddled tightly in blankets so thick that they hid the light. Just about the only thing Steve could make out was the tousled head of hair poking out of the bundle.

Slowly peeling out of his uniform, Steve washed off the worst of the grime from the mission. He turned the lights off before he opened the bathroom door, having no wish to disturb Tony’s rest.

Gently pulling away the blankets Tony had accumulated was a feat that Steve managed to accomplish after five very patient minutes. Then he slid in next to Tony, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on the back of Tony’s neck, lingering to feel the warmth and inhale the sleepy scent that was only Tony’s.

He smiled against the skin as Tony shifted slightly at the touch, murmuring softly and rolling into Steve’s warmth.

Tucking himself into the space by Tony, Steve placed one more soft kiss to Tony’s shoulder before ducking his head and resting his forehead against his shoulder blade.

And in the peaceful darkness of their room, surrounded by Tony’s rhythmic breathing, Steve slept.


	32. Hospital Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon, who simply prompted "hospital kiss." No one dies! :D

It had happened so quickly that Steve scarcely had time to breathe. One moment he had been fighting, the next something had brutally shoved him out of the way and taken the full brunt of the attack, the force of which had been such that the armor had been dented and all systems knocked offline.

Now Steve sat here in the hospital at the bedside, face buried in his hands as he counted the rhythmic, sterile beeps of the hospital machines. Tony was alive, and that was all that mattered. He had a nasty concussion and a cracked rib, but he was _alive_. The armor had protected him and kept him safe where Steve's suit wouldn't have.

Tactically Tony had made the best decision, taking the brunt of an attack that would have killed anyone else save for Thor and Hulk, but emotionally Steve was furious. It had been terrifying seeing the armor go down like a dead weight, no response coming from the comms.

The battle had tied up pretty after that point, Hulk exacting vengeance on the enemy with extreme prejudice. But Steve couldn't really remember anything beyond desperately prying Tony's helmet off and realizing that he was still breathing.

And Tony was still breathing. Steve could look up anytime he wanted and confirm that for himself. His hands were still warm, though Steve couldn't quite bring himself to take one and just cling for that extra reassurance.

All he did was sit in the uncomfortable chair the hospital provided and pray and listen to the machines.

So focused was he on the noise that he missed the signs of Tony waking until a light touch to his hair had him startling, head jerking up. Tony's eyes were squinting at him, but he had that small smile on his face that Steve loved.

“Hey,” Tony breathed.

“God, Tony.” Steve’s voice cracked on the name.

Tony’s smile softened, and he lifted a hand to take hold of one of Steve’s, thumb gently stroking over Steve’s knuckles. “I’m all right.”

Steve tightened his grip on Tony’s hand. “You’re hurt.”

“I’ll get better.” Tony squeezed Steve’s hand comfortingly. “Mind giving me a kiss?” he teased gently.

Steve didn’t answer, but then leaning in for a gentle kiss was all that was needed.


	33. Spider-Man Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, I had fun writing this one. I know I kind of already filled this one, but I'm just a sucker, okay. hello-shellhead asked for it, saying she wasn't going to stop me from doing another version of it if I wanted.

It was Steve’s fault. He shouldn’t have touched the thing, but he’d been far too curious for his own good. It was a failing that still had Bucky sighing whenever Steve got into something he shouldn’t have. But as it never failed to put a smile on Tony’s face, Steve wasn’t too inclined to curtail this particular inclination of his.

Then again, maybe he should, if only to save himself the embarrassment of being found like this.

Because somehow he’d activated something like an anti-gravity thingamajig. Everything that wasn’t bolted in the workshop was floating around now, and Steve had already collided with a rather bewildered Dummy once, the bot flailing helplessly in the air.

There were also any manner of circuit boards and dangerous instruments flying around, and Steve had finally just grabbed hold of a light fixture to stay in one place, not fancying floating around like a balloon.

JARVIS had doubtlessly already called for Tony, so all he had to do was wait, shame burning in his cheeks all the while.

Tony showed up about five minutes later, amusement written all over his face. He stepped into the workshop…and stayed firmly on the ground.

“How are you doing that?” Steve couldn’t stop the dismay from leaking into his voice.

“I wasn’t in the room when you activated the Anti-Gravity Mech,” Tony said, grinning cheerfully up at him. “Let me tell you, Steve, I wasn’t expecting you to be the one to set it off. I had my money on Clint.”

Dummy chirped loudly at Tony, drifting past him, claw reaching out for Tony’s shirt and snagging hold of it.

“I was curious,” Steve muttered, feeling his cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“I’m not complaining,” Tony assured him, striding forward despite Dummy drifting behind him like a child attached on a leash. “But if you come down here, I could get started on helping you out. I’d rather not reverse the effects while you’re still up there.”

Steve didn’t hesitate, gently kicking off the ceiling and coming down to Tony’s level. There wasn’t a world where he _didn’t_ trust Tony, and this was definitely a mess where he trusted Tony to do what was best.

So he didn’t at all expect Tony to snag him by the head and bring him in for a kiss. While he was still upside down.

Tony hummed happily into Steve’s mouth, fingers curling teasingly at Steve’s neck. “Always wanted to try that,” he said, sighing.

Steve blinked at Tony’s chin, feeling rather disoriented. “You don’t say?”

“Mm-hmm.” Tony pressed in for another kiss, and this time Steve clung back, slowly folding his legs over Tony’s head so that he was curled over Tony’s head, stomach gently brushing Tony’s head.

It wasn’t until Dummy chirped sadly at Tony’s back that the two realized that they really should be doing something about the lack of gravity.


	34. Kiss The Hurt Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next prompt’s going to be a longer one if I can stop giggling long enough to do it.
> 
> AND I HOPE YOU LIKE THE CORNINESS OF THIS ONE, ANON.

“Ow, fuck!” Tony’s loud swearing had Steve jerking his head up in alarm, only to see Tony scowling furiously and rubbing his head.

Saving his work, Steve set the tablet aside. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Tony groused, scowling blackly at the table right in front of his nose.

“You don’t usually swear if it’s nothing,” Steve pointed out, coming over to look at Tony more closely.

“It was nothing this time,” Tony insisted, wincing slightly as he dropped his hand.

Steve reached out without asking, running his hand over Tony’s head and feeling his scalp for anything strange. He found it a few seconds later, fingers running across a patch of skin that was warmer than the rest and slightly swollen. “You hit your head,” he realized.

“Like I said, it’s nothing.” Tony’s eyes had closed under Steve’s ministrations.

Smiling, Steve brushed his hand over Tony’s head, cupping the back of his skull as he leaned down to kiss the spot that Tony had hit.

Tony’s eyes flew open, and he almost bonked Steve in the nose as he looked up. “Did you – did you just _kiss_ the hurt away?”

Steve grinned down at him, amused. “You’re the one who said it.”

It took only a moment before Tony’s eyes darkened and he curled a finger through one of the belt loops on Steve’s jeans, voice low as he said, “Think you could do it again?” His lips were pulled into that dashing grin that Steve had fallen in love with the first time he’d seen it directed his way.

In lieu of an answer, Steve dropped to his knees, cupping his hands around Tony’s face and kissing him deeply, shivering as Tony’s hands slipped under his shirt to stroke his back.

“One more?” Tony breathed against Steve’s lips, eyes closed.

“As many as you want,” Steve told him honestly, brushing his cheek softly.

Opening his eyes, Tony smiled at him, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the corner of Steve’s mouth. “Then we’ll be here a long time.”


	35. Romeo and Juliet Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had far too much fun writing this. WAY TOO MUCH FUN. Gothams_Only_Wolf prompted this, asking for a balcony kiss.

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Steven is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, and…uh…” Eyes crossing, Tony struggled to remember the rest of his lines. “See, how he leans his cheek upon his hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!” he finished, hoping that he’d managed to get it somewhat right but thinking that he’d invariably messed up _somewhere_.

From the balcony, Tony could just feel Steve glaring at him for messing up his lines. “Ay me!” Steve said after a moment, sounding completely disgruntled to be doing this.

It took Tony a few seconds too long to remember that it was his turn again. “Er…pretty flowery language? I didn’t read this shit.”

Thankfully Steve had. “O Anthony, Anthony! Wherefore art thou, Anthony? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a…Rogers.” Steve’s voice wavered suspiciously on the last word, sounding rather like he was about to break down into hysterical laughter.

Tony tried desperately to remember if Romeo had any lines at this point, but it had been years since he’d taken high school English, and he’d never actually paid any attention to the Shakespearean plays because they’d been so utterly boring.

Steve went on, staring straight ahead into the night, the summery breeze blowing through his very pretty dress. It was so figure hugging that it was making it even more difficult for Tony to remember his lines. “It’s your name that’s my enemy. You’re yourself, not a Stark, bunch of stuff for body parts”—Tony muffled a snort of laughter behind his hand—“and what’s in a name? We’ll call a rose a rose even if it’s called something else, and you’ll be Anthony even if you weren’t really Anthony after all.”

Tony had the sneaking suspicion that Steve was really butchering his lines now.

“And I’ll have you all for myself,” Steve belted out determinedly, gesturing dramatically in a way that had Tony wanting to cringe. “Even if you were a poor, penniless beggar on the street—”

Tony thought he remembered what came next. “Oh, dost thou speak the truth?” That didn’t sound quite right, but… “Call me anything, and I’ll abandon my name and take up the mantle of anything but Rogers.”

Now Steve looked sharply down at him, glaring. “Why are you creeping on my monologue on the balcony?”

“Because it’s the plot?”

There was a sudden snapping sound, and then a brown-haired man with hazel eyes and a green jacket stood there, groaning dramatically. “Oh, come on, guys! _Romeo and Juliet_ ’s a classic! You can’t even remember your lines?”

“I didn’t read it,” Tony said.

“I hated it,” Steve said.

“Okay, fine, point.” The man that the Avengers knew as the Trickster sighed, waving a dismissive hand. “But now you have to _kiss_.” He wiggled his eyebrows, grinning broadly. Then with another snap of his fingers, Tony was suddenly leaning over the balcony, practically falling into Steve with a startled yelp.

“This is not part of the script!” Tony protested, hands on Steve’s shoulders.

“Aw, Tony.” The Trickster grinned, appearing behind Steve. “Haven’t you ever heard of artistic freedom?” He gestured pointedly at them, clearly wanting them to _kiss_.

“I’m doing this under extreme duress for the record,” Tony informed Steve, mildly panicking. “Because you’re really cute and all, but—” He was rudely cut off by Steve slamming their mouths together, teeth clacking and noses bumping into each other.

Then Tony managed to pry his face free from Steve’s mauling long enough to try again and turn it into something much smoother.

“Finally!” The Trickster sighed, rolling back a sleeve to look down at a shiny watch. “I’m already several universes behind Loki.”

Tony and Steve jerked apart, both snapping their heads to the Trickster. “Say what?”

“Nah, nope. My job here is done.” The Trickster grinned at him, winking. “Ciao!” He disappeared, and the door to the bedroom slammed open, Natasha standing there in a maid’s uniform and looking completely disgruntled for it.

“Are we done?” Natasha asked, hands on her hips. “Please tell me we’re done.”

“Yo, _Anthony_!” James’s voice hollered up from the ground. “I have this really pointy sword here and I’m going to try and stab you with it before you kill me and I die with a witty one-liner.”

Sam walked in several seconds later, decked out in a priest’s outfit and looking summarily startled at the sight before him. “This isn’t the church…”

With a loud tumble, Clint rolled out from behind the curtains, looking far too constipated in his stuffy clothes. “Someone help.”

Tony and Steve looked at each other, neither of them too concerned about the period clothes they were dressed in (or that Steve was still wearing that dress that made Tony want to take it off him with his teeth).

“How are we supposed to get out?” Tony asked eventually.

“Hold!” Thor burst into the room, looking appropriately terrifying for playing Juliet’s (or Steve’s, actually) father. He was enjoying this idiot box the Trickster had stuck them all in far too much for his own good.

“Is the gig up?” James asked, clambering up onto balcony. “Please tell me the gig’s up. I don’t want to do another shampoo commercial.”

“Fucking Herpexia,” Clint groaned on the floor, covering his face.

“If I have to do another sitcom, I will scream,” Natasha declared. “And kill things.” She held up an iron poker.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” The Trickster popped into view, casually plucked the poker out of her hands, and snapped his fingers.

Abruptly they all found themselves in the middle of the penthouse, a flabbergasted Hill, Pepper, and Rhodey staring at them.

That they were still decked out in their period clothes should come as no surprise.

“If I ever get my hands on that guy, I am going to strangle him,” Tony said.

“I don’t know.” Steve flushed red, glancing quickly at Tony’s lips before looking away. “It wasn’t all bad?”

It took Tony two seconds to answer with “Yeah, you’re right. That dress is absolutely smoking on you.”

It was totally worth James poking him threateningly with the sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that's Gabriel/Tony from my other 'verse. For the record, I had a lot of extra stuff in mind for this, but then it'd be over 5,000 words and not really addressing the prompt and just amusing myself.


	36. Kindergarten Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wildewit prompted this as a Kindergarten kiss. I tried something different here with an outsider's POV. Hope you like it! :D

In Eve’s professional opinion as the teacher of a class of five-year-olds, the two boys were as different as night and day. She meant that entirely literally, as Steven “Steve” Grant Rogers was pale-skinned, blond-haired, blue-eyed, and loud and Anthony “Tony” Edward Stark was darker-skinned, brown-haired, brown-eyed, and quiet and polite. The two couldn’t be more different, and yet they had stuck fast together since the very first day of class.

It had been rather unusual, really, since Tony had been picked on viciously by another young boy, and Steve had interfered before Eve could tell young Obadiah Stane off. Then, of course, Eve had to mildly reprimand Steve for punching Obadiah in the face because little boys shouldn’t do that.

It hadn’t seemed to dissuade Steve, since Eve was certain that he got into scraps and tussles with the other boys on a daily basis judging from the scrapes, scratches, and bruises he accumulated like magic. Now, Tony was quiet, staying in a corner and building with the blocks and toys the school provided. Eve rather wished that all the children were like Tony, but then class would be more boring than exciting.

In any case, Eve would never want to separate Steve and Tony, no matter how different they seemed. The two boys were always together, and Steve had even shared his precious Bucky Bear with Tony on more than one occasion. They could frequently be seen cuddling together during naptime, and Eve had given up on separating them after the third time Steve had snuck under Tony’s blanket.

Their parents seemed similarly charmed by the fact that their boys had found such a fast friendship with each other. Eve had seen both boys going home with the other’s parents more than once and coming back the next day with the other’s parents dropping them off.

But all of that hadn’t really prepared Eve for Valentine’s Day that year. She had tasked her class with creating a bunch of paper hearts, setting out glitter, markers, and glue for everyone to share and use.

At the end, Eve had an actual representation of a heart on hand courtesy of one Bruce Banner, who hadn’t really seemed to understand that it was supposed to be a metaphorical heart. He had made Kitty Pryde cry when he’d showed it to her, partly because of all the drawn blood he’d put on it.

Eve made a mental note to ask the boy’s parents where he was learning these things because five-year-olds typically didn’t create accurate representations of the human heart, blood and all.

Then she caught sight of Steve and Tony in the corner, the two exchanging pink hearts. Tony’s was similar to Bruce’s, though his had notably more glitter than fake blood on it. Steve’s was so sparkly that Eve could see the glitter falling off it to land on the carpet.

Seconds later, she saw Steve kissing Tony on the cheek, eyes closed in fierce determination. Tony blushed scarlet, blinking in stunned surprise at Steve.

Eve had to resist the urge to do something completely unprofessional, like coo in delight at the sight.

But she did give into the urge to smile like a fool when Tony held Steve’s hand for the rest of the day until they were picked up Sarah Rogers.

Eve had no doubt that Tony and Steve would have quite a strong friendship when they grew older. It was only too bad that she wouldn’t get to see it as a kindergarten teacher.


	37. Ankle Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> celtic7irish asked for an ankle kiss, and I can't really picture someone kissing ankles outside of sex, sooo... Have some nighttime fluff!

Steve wouldn’t say he had a foot fetish. Really. No. He didn’t. No matter what Tony might try to tell someone.

He had an artistic eye. That was all. And he couldn’t help but notice beautiful people and their hands, feet, faces, and anything else that attracted his eye.

And Tony was beautiful. He had gorgeous, talented fingers that were brilliant at doing delicate work. He had a beautiful laugh and smile that Steve loved pulling out of him whenever he could. His feet were just as beautiful as the rest of him, and Steve loved stroking his hands down Tony’s legs to get to his feet and curl his fingers around those ankles, feeling out the contours that were usually hidden by socks, jeans, sweatpants, or shoes.

Sometimes he did it at night when Tony was asleep and his fingers itched to draw. When it happened, Steve would pull out his sketchpad and ask for JARVIS to turn the lights up just enough for him to see by, though usually the light of the arc reactor was enough for his enhanced eyesight.

Tonight was one such night that Steve had the itch to draw, and he couldn’t stop himself from touching the curve of Tony’s foot where it poked out from under the blanket.

“Are you indulging your foot fetish again?” Tony asked sleepily, mildly startling Steve.

“It’s not a fetish,” Steve said automatically, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the quiet night.

“You love touching my feet,” Tony said, sighing lightly and stretching so that his foot arched invitingly. “I’d say that’s a fetish.”

“I don’t get off on it.” Steve gave into the urge to touch again, stroking his fingers down the curve of Tony’s calf and brushing a thumb over the ankle. “You just have beautiful feet.”

Tony hummed, smiling at him lazily from where half his face was smushed into his pillow. “So you’ve said.”

Smiling up at him, Steve scooted down the bed to lightly kiss Tony’s ankle, only for Tony to jerk his foot back under the blanket with a barely stifled snort of laughter.

“You stop it.” Tony’s one visible eye was laughing at Steve.

“You go back to sleep.” Steve tucked the blanket down, stroking a hand down the length of Tony’s leg.

Tony slowly pulled back the blanket invitingly. “Only if you come here.”

Steve didn’t even have to think about it, curling into the space Tony made for him and hiding a smile in Tony’s hair when he immediately curled into the warmth of Steve’s chest.

“No creeping on my feet,” Tony murmured, already half asleep again. “You can do it when I’m awake and there to appreciate those eyes.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Steve didn’t fall asleep, but he was content enough just lying there with Tony in his arms, sketching out his next portrait in his head.


	38. Eskimo Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> celtic7irish asked for an Eskimo kiss, which I absolutely love.

“It’s cold,” Tony grumbled, hitching his scarf up higher to cover the lower half of his face. “Why did I let you drag me out for this?”

Steve smiled at him, gently squeezing Tony’s hand. They were both wearing mittens, so there was no way Tony could actually feel Steve’s warmth, but illogically enough it felt like he really could. “Because it’s fun.”

“Ice skating is for people who want to get hurt,” Tony said, eyeing the ice rink like it might bite him. Well, seeing as how this was New York City, the potential was definitely there. Just last week the sewer system had staged a revolt. Tony would, too, if he had to deal with the waste of millions of people on a daily basis.

“You were the one who wanted to put roller blades in your suit,” Steve reminded Tony, warm amusement coloring his tone.

“Because those aren’t deadly blades. And rollerblading is _fun_. You can do it anytime, unlike ice skating, where it needs to be _cold_.”

“You’ll warm up,” Steve coaxed him, breath cold in the chilly air. “Come on, Tony.”

Tony was grateful for the scarf and the thick hat that hid most of his features. It allowed him some obscurity as he muttered, “I can’t skate.”

Steve being Steve, he heard him anyway. “It’s like rollerblading.” He pulled Tony closer by the jacket, his warm breath washing over Tony’s chilled skin. “You’ll get the hang of it in no time. Besides…” He pulled down Tony’s scarf just enough to expose Tony’s nose, rubbing it gently with his own, his skin blazing warm against Tony’s. “I won’t let you fall,” he whispered, lips brushing against the scarf.

Tony clung to the seams of Steve’s jacket, taking a few moments to answer even though his mind was already made up. Had, actually, been made up the moment Steve had smiled at him.

“I trust you,” Tony said.

It should come as no surprise that Tony fell in love all over again with Steve’s beaming smile, the sight of which sent warmth curling through Tony that was more than enough to stave off the cold. (At least until he and Steve both fell gracelessly to the ice rink when Tony tripped both of them up.)


	39. Rain Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bbyjellow asked for a rain kiss. Cheesy and cliche kisses are awesome!

A lot of people would say that Tony was horrible at planning. And in this case, “a lot of people” would consist primarily of Pepper, Rhodey, and Natasha, as they’d all had copious doses of Tony Stark at his highest and lowest points and knew full well what he was like.

That being said, even Tony could admit that he’d never before put so much planning into a single endeavor. It was bizarre, but at the same time he was rather a nervous wreck because this really did need to go perfectly.

He’d had years of friendship to fall back on with Pepper. He didn’t have that with Steve. This was it, and it was still so fragile and new and he really needed this first date to go well. Because weren’t first dates where it all counted? When you found out whether or not you were a good match and decided to go on a second and third date and eventually start an exclusive relationship with kisses and cuddling and _sex_?

Tony thought he and Steve were a good match, but there was always the possibility that _Steve_ didn’t. So he had to make this first date count. He had to make sure nothing went wrong.

Of course, his luck being what it was, something did.

Namely the point being that there had only been a 20% chance of rain in the morning when he had checked the forecast and had JARVIS double-check continually throughout the day until he and Steve finally went out, only for the heavens to unleash an unholy deluge of rain halfway through their walk through Central Park after they’d had an awesome lunch in a greasy diner.

Tony had stared at Steve in utter dismay for all of a minute before Steve broke out into the widest, most beautiful grin Tony had ever seen him wear (second to the one he’d broken out into after Tony had finally managed to ask him out on a date to begin with) and dragged Tony off onto a bridge to stand on it under the pouring rain.

“I’m sorry,” Tony said, tasting the rain water as it dripped into his mouth. “There was like an eighty percent chance of no rain, and there wasn’t any sign of this happening—”

“No, it’s fine.” Steve’s hair was plastered to his forehead, his jacket was dark with water, and his white shirt was even more see-through than it usually was, and he looked stunningly gorgeous in the dim light.

“I’m sorry,” Tony repeated, shoulders hunching. “I really wanted this to go well.”

“Tony, this is _great_.” Steve grinned at him, water running in rivulets down his forehead and cheeks, and then he rested both hands on Tony’s hips and pressed his lips to Tony’s, his warm skin a startling contrast to the coolness of the rain.

Tony’s brain stuttered and stalled, unable to comprehend much more beyond the fact that Steve was kissing him in the rain. He kissed back instinctively, opening his mouth and pushing for more, relieved when Steve reciprocated, the inside of his mouth even hotter than his lips.

Panting softly, Steve drew back, pressing another kiss to the corner of Tony’s mouth. His hands gripped Tony’s hips tightly. “This has been amazing,” he said softly, a sweet smile on his lips. “So much more than anything I expected.”

Relief suffused Tony, and he found himself smiling back at Steve, a kind of giddiness rising in him. “Thank God.” Without further ado, he took hold of Steve’s face and pulled him in for more.

If he was going for the full cliché of a first date, then he might as well go all out.


	40. Kiss of Life Redux

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly Afraid and an anon asked for Tony giving Steve the kiss of life or performing CPR.
> 
> Also, Tony is a terribly unreliable narrator. Do not trust anything he says. (BUT NO ONE DIES, OKAY)

There had been no end of discussions about Tony toning down the recklessness during their fights. It was mostly thanks to Natasha's personality profile, as the "self-destructive" label stuck with him even though he wasn't _that_ reckless, thank you (despite what Rhodey claimed about the first time Tony had taken the Iron Man suit out for a spin). It was almost rather insulting, actually, because no one else got the same dressing down from Captain America or Nick Fury.

Tony was probably the safest member of the team aside from Thor, considering his _suit of armor_. Steve had a skintight suit, and Natasha and Clint were barely any better off. Really, Tony should be asking _them_ to be careful and not take any reckless risks. He would quite happily pull up the footage of Steve tackling three Doom-bots in one go, Clint taking headers of buildings, or Natasha taking a joyride on the back of a Chitauri for anyone who claimed that a super soldier and two experienced spies/assassins wouldn't take risks.

Tony was safe, and he didn't much worry about his own safety so much as he worried about Steve every time the other went off on a mission that Tony didn't. When they were on the field together, he could at least keep an eye on Steve peripherally and cover him if things got hairy. But if Steve was on a S.H.I.E.L.D.. mission? There wasn't anything Tony could do other than have JARVIS track the guy's comm.

That didn't mean that bad things didn't happen when they were out on the field together. There had been too many close shaves for all of them at various points, but this…this really was the worst.

A.I.M. had hit them hard and hit them fast, literally exploding out of the bay and the river, forcing the Avengers to divide to deal with the attack. They'd grown by two since originally assembling against the Chitauri, but eight superheroes against the horde of robots and massive machines A.I.M. had brought to the fight was pushing it, even if one of the superheroes was a Hulk and another was the god of thunder.

Tony and Steve took the river and the bay, Steve able to cover the land while Tony flew over the water to take care of the mechanical _tentacles_ that A.I.M. had brought to the fight. He was 90% certain that someone in that organization had been watching or reading a little too much Japanese porn.

Distracted as he was with making sure that the freaking tentacles weren't doing too much damage like taking the head of the Statue of Liberty or sinking ships filled with terrified tourists, Tony missed it when Steve's comm went silent. He _missed_ it.

It took him far too long to realize that he was no longer hearing Steve's calm voice barking out orders or demanding status updates. It took him far too long to realize that Steve wasn't telling them to keep it professional and stay focused. It took him far too long to realize that most of the robots that had been pushing onto the land were gone, and his sensors tracked them underwater.

Which was also where he located the signal of Steve's comm.

Panic surging through him, Tony tore through the tentacles with absolutely no finesse, barely paying attention to where they fell, only a small corner of his mind registering the fact that he _needed_ to be careful because otherwise he'd be feeling even _guiltier_ for messing up. Never mind that he'd _already_ messed up with losing track of _Steve_.

He released a short-range EMP that effectively took care of the tentacles and also knocked out the navigation systems of the tourist boats. But he paid no attention to that, already diving into the water and blasting to where his sensors had last picked up the trace of Steve's comm.

The water was murky and dark, absolutely filthy with sediment, pollution, and debris from the fight. Only the armor's sensors told Tony where he needed to go, and it was far deeper than he had expected.

He was all the way at the bottom of the river when he found the first robot, its energy circuits fried from the EMP he'd released earlier. A few feet away from it lay another robot, and a third robot was gently settling to the bottom as Tony anxiously swept his sensors over the area, desperately trying to find any glimpse of Steve.

He found the shield first, and he snatched that up immediately, frantically rummaging around for Steve.

It was only by the grace of his sensors that Tony found Steve half-buried under a robot. Tony wasted no time in heaving the robot off and grabbing hold of Steve, pushing for the surface.

He broke it seconds later, making a sharp beeline for the port and dumping first the shield with a loud clatter before more gently laying Steve down and checking his pulse and breathing to confirm what his sensors were telling him: _He wasn't breathing_.

Tony yanked his helmet off, discarding it carelessly and then gently ( _because his gauntlets could **kill**_ ) tipping Steve's head back and parting his lips to press his own to them and _exhale_.

Because Steve needed to breathe, and as long as he wasn't breathing, Tony would do the breathing for him.

Steve's skin was clammy and smelled disgusting; his mouth tasted of river water and faintly of blood, but Tony didn't care. He kept careful count of his breaths, praying desperately to anything that was listening _to please save Steve_.

It was minutes later – _agonizing minutes later_ – when Tony pulled back one last time and got a face full of disgusting river water as Steve coughed it up before pulling in a deep breath on his own, the sound raspy and desperate. He blinked open dazed, blue eyes, meeting Tony's seconds later.

It was all Tony could do not to sob, his forehead coming to rest against Steve's as he pulled in his own ragged breaths, a sense of utter relief washing through him as all he could think and register was the sound of his heart beating to the rhythm of _thankGodthankGodthankGod_.


	41. Oblivious Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Esha Napoleon asked for a "let make the Avengers blush kind of kiss." I do not apologize for this.

Movie night was a well-established tradition of the Avengers, and it was one that everyone joined in on if their schedules permitted.

Despite popular notion, Clint hadn’t really kept up on movies. He knew pop culture just through exposure and random glimpses at clips and videos, but movies were something else that he’d never taken the time to sit down and enjoy. So this was great and a hell of a lot fun, but only if _they’d stop necking_.

Because it was great that Steve and Tony had gotten over their ridiculous pining and started dating, but now literally every room was a potential hazard because the two just wouldn’t stop cuddling, making out, _or having sex_. Clint had already walked in on them doing the do two times too many, and he knew for a fact that Natasha had walked in on them three times and Thor didn’t care so he just did whatever while Steve and Tony did it five feet away. Bruce had walked in on them having sex once in the workshop and had never walked in on it again.

It had gotten to the point where Clint had JARVIS tell him if a room was clear before he went inside, though even then he found sometimes suspicious stains on the couch cushions or tabletop. He wondered if he shouldn’t perhaps carry his own pillows around because _gross_.

In any case, tonight was movie night, and everyone gave the couch where Tony and Steve sat on a wide berth because things might happen. _Things_.

They’d put in an old classic – _The Princess Bride_ – to watch, and Clint found it really fascinating. If only because the author of the book had apparently hated the movie. He was always down for watching stuff that made people angry, if only so he could see why.

The movie had reached the part where the Dread Pirate Roberts was drinking poison when Clint heard some suspicious rustling sounds and other less…suspicious sounds. He very determinedly didn’t look in the couch’s direction, keeping his eyes fixed on the screen.

It was only minutes later and after the point where the Dread Pirate Roberts was revealed to be Buttercup’s lost love that Clint heard a faint moan and the distinct sound of something wet being smacked together. The back of his neck burned with heat, and he snuck a glance to Natasha, relieved to see that she seemed just as uncomfortable with the display of genuine affection, her cheeks blushing lightly.

Bruce had his hands over his ears, his eyes fixed on the TV. Thor seemed completely unruffled as always, though he also wasn’t looking in the direction of Steve and Tony.

Once Buttercup and Westley were inside the forest with the gigantic rats and terrible quicksand, Clint was again distracted from the screen by a high-pitched whimper and low moan.

He glanced over before he could stop himself, instantly regretting it when the image of Steve and Tony wrapped up in each other – and thankfully under a blanket THANK GOD – seared itself on his retinas. He whipped his head back to the TV, his cheeks scorching hot.

If this was being played as a joke, he could laugh it off. But the two didn’t even seem to know what they were doing, and that made it impossible for him to poke fun at them macking on each other at every available opportunity.

Ten minutes later, Clint fled the room when he heard a thumping noise that didn’t come from kissing. Movie night recommenced in his bedroom with Natasha and Bruce, though Thor was conspicuously absent as always.

One of these days Clint was going to ask him just what Asgardians got up to.

As soon as he could enter a room without worrying about running into a certain couple having sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the reason for why Thor doesn't mind is because Steve and Tony don't actually have sex. They're just having fun at the expense of the team and are wondering how long it'll take for the others to catch on.


	42. Truth-or-Dare Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minty4Ever asked for a truth-or-dare kiss. I've never played this game before, so I'm just going off of hearsay.

He was surrounded by utter children. That was the only reason he could come up for why they were all doing games like spin-the-bottle, go fish, and truth or dare on a Friday night instead of things actual adults did.

Besides, Tony had grown out of these games by the time he was eight. They’d never been any fun (not in the least because no one else had ever wanted to play with him).

“How about…truth or dare,” Sam said, grinning far too broadly for a man who’d just had his nails painted by Natasha.

“Children,” Tony sighed, nursing the glass of juice that had been all he was permitted for the evening. Everyone else was on a similar restriction.

“Shut up, spoilsport,” Clint said, braiding James’s hair.

Tony put up his hands, mouth pursed.

“I’m for it,” Natasha said, comparing another nail polish color to Sam’s skin.

“We’re not doing anything risky, are we?” Steve asked, brow furrowed.

“Says the guy who picked fights every time someone did something he didn’t like,” James drawled, shuffling the deck of cards they’d used for their game of go fish that they’d given up on when it turned out that both Tony and Bruce had an unfair advantage when it came to guessing the cards others had based on probability.

“I don’t like bullies,” Steve said. “We shouldn’t do anything too crazy in a game.”

“Bummer,” Clint said. “There goes my idea to have Bruce jump out the window.”

“Very funny,” Bruce said dryly. “I’m sure the Other Guy would have something to say to that.”

“I’ll go first,” Sam said. “Dare.”

“Do the full gig,” Tony said before anyone else could. “Makeup and all. Just to accentuate your nails.”

Sam’s lips twitched into a broad grin. “That your dare?”

“That’s my dare.”

“Done deal.” Sam turned to Clint. “Nat says you’re an old hand at makeup.”

Clint nodded, putting the finishing touches to James’s braid. “I am.”

“Do me?” Sam raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, I’ll do you.” Clint grinned smarmily. “Anyway you like.”

“If you’re gonna do that, at least do it away from me,” James said, scooting away from Clint.

“I’d be all for a threesome,” Clint purred, only to get an unimpressed look from James and Natasha.

Ten minutes later, Clint finished putting the last touches of the makeup on Sam’s face, settling back with a ridiculously pleased look on his face at the results.

Sam fluttered his eyes. “How do I look?”

“Amazing,” Natasha assured him, tucking a flower she’d procured from nowhere behind his ear.

“Do I want to know where you were stashing that?” Tony asked.

“No, not really.” Natasha gave him a beatific smile, raising one eyebrow.

“You know what this means, right?” Clint turned to Tony, grinning broadly.

“Truth or dare?” Sam asked before Clint could do anymore taunting.

“Dare,” Tony said unthinkingly, not trusting them not to ask an extremely personal question just for shits and giggles.

Sam’s eyes lit up, flickering between Steve and Tony in a tell that had Tony’s heartbeat ratcheting up. “Kiss Steve.”

Tony’s mouth dropped open, no sound escaping. That was all fine, as Steve made the sound for him, sounding rather like a kitten squeaking.

Bruce sounded concerned as he asked, “You okay?”

Steve was fire engine red, not looking anywhere but at Tony. “Fine.”

Tony found his voice. “You want me to kiss Steve? That’s the dare?” He refrained from wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his sweatpants, wanting nothing more than to hide but unable to under the scrutiny of his team. He was all too aware of Steve’s warmth several feet away from him on the couch, and the solid strength that was contained inside that sturdy frame.

“That’s my dare,” Sam confirmed, leaning back against the base of the armchair he was sitting in front of.

Mouth dry, Tony twisted in his seat, forcing himself to look at Steve’s face and act confident. It was a mask he was all too used to pulling on, and he was all too aware of the way Steve looked just as nervous. Was he nervous because Tony was going to kiss him? Because he didn’t want it (because he _did_ )?

Tony didn’t know, but he had a dare to fulfill, and he wasn’t going to cop out. So without hesitating, he reached out to touch Steve’s neck and hold him still as he leaned close for a chaste kiss, keeping it short and perfunctory even though he would love nothing more than to linger and take in Steve’s taste.

His lips touched Steve’s, and he registered warmth and dryness for a second before he started to pull back, only to find himself caught when Steve’s hands came up to frame his face, the other pushing in for _more_.

With a surprised gasp, Tony let it happen, eyes slipping closed involuntarily as he struggled to take in what was happening.

Steve was kissing him? Kissing him _back_? Kissing him with _tongue_?

There was a faint whimper. Tony wasn’t sure who it came from, not that he cared. All he cared about was pressing closer, and his hands were fisted in Steve’s shirt now, pulling him flush against Tony’s chest.

He likely would’ve happily continued kissing Steve if someone hadn’t cleared their throat, abruptly reminding him that they had an audience.

Slowly, reluctantly, Steve pulled away, cheeks flushed red and his lips swollen. His eyes were blown black, and he looked dazed even as he smiled giddily, thumb stroking Tony’s jaw.

Tony forced himself to focus, although he wanted nothing more than to sink into Steve’s warmth again and lose himself in it. “Truth or dare?” he asked, voice hoarse.

Steve blinked, clearly struggling to focus. “Dare?”

Letting his lips curl into a small smirk, Tony pulled Steve in for one more highly drugging kiss before whispering, “Dare you to take me to bed?”

“Aw, dude,” James groaned, his metal arm whacking something that Tony didn’t see, engrossed as he was in Steve’s dilated pupils. “I told you this would happen, Nat.”

Anything more Tony didn’t hear, as Steve grinned, the sight quicksilver and beautiful, before he snatched Tony up in his arms and left.


	43. Kisses in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> orio asked if I'd eventually be writing about kisses in the dark. ;D

“Ow, _fuck_!” Tony hissed as he banged his shin against something he couldn’t see as it was currently pitch black and there _were no fucking lights_. Even his arc reactor was out, and hadn’t the little panic attack _that_ caused been fun.

He was coherent now, though, enough to be able to tell that the reactor was functioning even if there was no light to be had.

“You okay?” Steve’s voice came somewhere from the side.

“Perfectly fine,” Tony said, gingerly shuffling around the obstacle that was probably a large rock as they were inside a cave.

How they’d gotten inside the cave was something Tony was trying his best not to think about because it involved spelunking and creative uses of climbing gear, along with a cave-in and everything lost save for some rations and water.

Tony didn’t like caves, and he was doing his best not to think about the fact that he _was_ in a cave. Because if he did, he’d be having another massive panic attack, and that wasn’t something he could deal with here.

Thank God Steve was here. Though Steve was also the reason that Tony was even in a cave to begin with because the spelunking had been supposed to be a team activity and it had been Steve’s eyes that had pulled Tony into it despite his better judgment telling him otherwise.

Not that Tony had the best judgment anyway.

“I’m sorry.” Steve sounded guilty, and his fingers brushed against Tony’s.

“It’s fine,” Tony said automatically, instinctively taking Steve’s fingers in his own. “Can you see anything?”

“I can see as much as you,” Steve said, “which isn’t anything. Have you figured out why your reactor’s off?”

“Nope.” Tony tapped fingers against the glass casing, reassuring himself that it was still there and it was indeed on. “But it’s not natural.”

Because there was no reason the natural light of his reactor should be snuffed out. It just wasn’t possible.

Steve was silent for a moment before he said, “I don’t think there’s anywhere for us to go. I checked out the immediate area, and while there’s a tunnel, I don’t want to go down it and get lost. The others should be here soon.”

Tony hoped. He took a careful breath, trying to pretend that he was back home in a really dark room and not in a _motherfucking cave_.

“Tony?” Steve’s hand squeezed his own, his voice concerned.

The words were out before Tony could stop them. “I really don’t like caves.”

It took only a moment for Steve to get it, and there was no pity in his voice as he said, “Do you want to sit down?” He didn’t wait for an answer, saying, “C’mon.”

He carefully drew Tony down to sit between his legs, wrapping his arms around him comfortingly. “Close your eyes.”

Tony did, huddling into the warmth of Steve’s body.

“We’re back in our room.” Steve’s voice was soft and warm. “In our bed under the covers. We’re safe and warm, and I’m holding you in my arms like this.”

Tony craned his head back, turning slightly so his forehead brushed Steve’s neck. “What next?” he murmured.

In lieu of an answer, Steve kissed him. His kisses were like a drug to Tony, setting his body afire and lighting him up from the inside. He shivered lightly, pressing in for more.

He didn’t know how long they spent intertwined like that, but soon enough the light of the arc reactor flickered back on, giving them enough illumination to see where they were and that apparently there had never been a cave-in at all. All their supplies were intact, and when they met the rest of the team, everyone was entirely relieved that everything was fine.

As for what had happened…no one really believed Clint when he said he’d seen a guy wearing too much flannel apologizing regretfully about the mess because it was the wrong universe and he’d gotten lost, with a side comment on how kisses in the dark were so romantic.


	44. Ear Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> octavaluna asked for an ear kiss. :) This is short, but I'm thinking the next few will be longer.

Sweaty, sated, and warm, they lay snuggled together under the blankets, chests still heaving from what they had just finished mere moments ago.

“A-plus,” Tony murmured eventually, clumsily patting Steve’s chest. “Would do again.”

Steve was unable to restrain a snort, even though the sappy smile on his face took away the reprimand. “That all?”

“Of course not.” Tony shifted lazily, unwilling to do more than worm his way down Steve’s chest to rest his ear over his heart. 

Steve hummed lackadaisically, stroking a gentle hand down Tony’s spine, his fingers lingering over the knobs. “I’d do it again, too,” he said eventually, only the faintest tone in his voice suggesting he was hiding a smirk.

Tony couldn’t be bothered to be insulted. “Good. I’m not letting you go.” He curled fingers around Steve’s side.

Steve rolled, shifting so Tony was enfolded in his arms, bundled up in a Steve-blanket. He gently kissed Tony’s ear, just about the only thing he could reach given Tony’s current position. “I’m not either,” he whispered.

The warmth the words ignited in Tony was gentle, simmering slowly so that he curled around it protectively, not wanting to let it go. He needn’t have worried, as it followed him even into his dreams.


	45. The “Please Let Me Help You Feel Better” Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't do OT6, but FortiqueAnimo asked me to fill this [prompt](avengerkink.livejournal.com/19458.html?thread=45566722), and I figured "Why not?" At least it'll help me explore boundaries.
> 
> I didn't get into all the details of the prompt, but this was about as far as I could get, and this story is anyway about kisses. ^^
> 
> So, this chapter isn't strictly Steve/Tony, but if that's not your gig, you can skip this and read my extended edition of "Mistletoe Kiss" with added sex, which is Steve/Tony and has been posted separately as I'd like to keep this story's rating PG-13: [Mistletoe Kiss (And More)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2818415).

The first one it happened to was Clint.

They had moved into the tower that Stark had outfitted for them, and Clint had been particularly angry and upset with life in general, still reeling from the aftereffects from having a god in his head and using him like a puppet.

He’d been sulking up on the roof because he could be alone up there and no one would bother him. It was safe and isolated and he could just _sulk_.

And brood.

Like Derek Hale.

So Clint wasn’t at all happy when only an hour into his sulking and brooding and his attempt at being a surly werewolf, he felt the minute vibrations of footsteps and the presence of someone at his back. He turned his head slightly, using his peripheral vision to see that it was Stark and not Natasha who’d sought him out.

“What do you want?” Clint asked, not bothering to keep the grumpiness out of his voice.

Stark was silent for a moment before taking a seat next to Clint. “You’re not thinking of jumping, are you?” His voice was hesitant.

Clint could sort of see where he was getting this impression, and it warmed him to know that Stark cared. “Nah. I just like high places.”

Stark made an understanding noise. Clint had no doubt that there’d be countless perches built into the tower within a week.

“You’re doing okay?” Stark sounded even more hesitant now.

Now Clint couldn’t stop the derisive scoff for the life of him, but maybe if he _had_ … “I had a fucking insane god in my head. There’s no part of that that’s _okay_.”

A second later, all Clint thought he heard was something akin to a distressed sound before Stark seized him by the neck and jammed his mouth to his.

Clint was too stunned by the action to do anything other than sit there, letting Stark…kiss him?

Because this was a kiss. This was definitely a kiss.

This…was an _amazing_ kiss. Stark – _Tony_ , since the guy had his tongue in Clint’s mouth and was doing truly devilish things to Clint’s insides – knew his stuff.

Clint could pull back. Tony’s grip wasn’t so hard that it’d be impossible to do so. But…he didn’t really want to?

There was no aggressiveness in the kiss. It was gentle, reassuring… Practically everything he’d kind of needed, though he hadn’t really anticipated Tony Stark _kissing_ him to give it to him.

Not that he was complaining.

And, ten seconds later, when Tony finally drew back with one last peck to Clint’s swollen lips, all he could do was blink at Tony’s searching face. Then, with a small smile, Tony squeezed Clint’s neck and left.

Lips tingling, all Clint could think was _what the fuck?_

* * *

It happened to Thor next.

He had been thinking on Loki and what was happening on Asgard. He had not had the heart to stay in his realm, too cowardly to stay where his brother was imprisoned. His father had fortunately accepted the excuse that he still wished to learn more from the humans, and now Thor was here, living with the mortals he had fought alongside.

Anthony was a generous man, allowing them to live here without any charge. Thor had offered him recompense, but Anthony had gently rebuffed him, saying something remarkably inane about Shakespeare and magical hammers that Thor had not exactly wanted to understand because Anthony’s two friends had looked remarkably like they were stifling laughter and groans.

After spending some more time with Anthony, Thor understood why they had these reactions, even as it pained him. For Anthony reminded him of Loki in his younger years, when he had not been so pained and distant.

In hindsight, perhaps he should not have been brooding in the living room of the penthouse in Anthony’s presence, but it had become rather second nature for him since he had begun staying here.

If he had needed to brood at all, Thor should have done it in his bedroom. Alone. Like the Byronic heroes of Midgard.

Instead, he was here, and one moment he was staring out the windows, and the next Anthony stood in front of him with a particularly determined expression. Thor had no time to react before Anthony was kissing him, slowly and gently, his fingers carefully tilting Thor’s head.

Thor made a surprised sound but did not move, cataloguing the sensations of Anthony slowly setting his blood afire. He had lived a great many years, but there were few on Asgard who could kiss with the expertise of Anthony.

Even Jane could not match Anthony.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Anthony drew away with one last kiss against Thor’s lips. He looked Thor in the eyes for several seconds, a small smile on his face, and then he left, leaving Thor sitting there and extremely confused.

* * *

Bruce was next.

He had been confused and frustrated over potentially contacting Betty, only to continually rethink it whenever he remembered that General Ross would be more than happy to snatch him up.

And Bruce would not be happy. At all.

In fact, he’d be rather green if that ever happened again.

No sooner had he thought this did Tony plonk himself down in Bruce’s lap and kiss him, hands slung over his shoulders.

Startled, Bruce could only sit there, horribly confused and wondering what the hell what was going on.

It was over as quickly as it started, Tony patting Bruce on the cheek once before leaving.

To his credit, it took Bruce only a few minutes to shake himself out of his stunned stupor and make a mental note to talk to Pepper Potts about her boyfriend’s tendency to kiss other people.

* * *

Natasha had already heard from Clint about Stark kissing him, so she was somewhat prepared for the same to happen to her the next time Stark and she were in the same room. But when nothing happened, she relaxed her guard slightly and moved on.

She would have knocked him out if he had even tried putting the moves on her.

But now it was evening, and Clint had suffered a panic attack at the unusually blue lights of the gym. Natasha was frustrated, and it wasn’t because of Clint and how she’d had to gently coax him back to the real world and get him to relax. It was because of Loki and the situation they were in.

Her face was all over the news, and she could no longer officially act as a spy on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s roster. Given that her career had been the spy business, she was pissed.

So she was off her game later in the kitchen when she was heating up some milk for Clint and herself. When Stark approached her and started pulling together some ingredients for an omelet, which was about the only thing he could actually cook, Natasha didn’t bother paying attention to him, instead stewing in her frustration at the current state of affairs.

It was then a logical consequence that scant minutes later, when Natasha reached for the spices that she would put in the milk, she was taken completely off-guard by the soft kiss that Stark bestowed on her. It was so gentle and reassuring that she didn’t immediately throw him off, too used to kisses filled with lust, ferocity, or greed.

It was everything that she’d needed in that moment, and even Stark’s gentle fingers at her waist were calming.

Exactly as Clint had described it.

When Stark drew back to return to making his omelet like nothing unusual had happened, Natasha was left blinking and staring at him, body tingling.

It was nothing more than curiosity that had her remain in the kitchen while Stark finished his omelet. Nothing more than that.

* * *

Steve was kissed after he demolished his fifth punching bag in a fit of pique. One second he’d been leaning down to grab a sixth one, and the next he was standing and being kissed to an inch of his life.

He’d only been kissed twice in his life, and neither of them had exactly been _warm_ kisses. The first woman’s had been tinged with lust and far too fierce. Peggy’s had been desperate and chaste.

Stark – because it was Tony Stark kissing him now – was gentle and soft and reassuring all at once. He kissed like he meant it, and warmth was sinking into every bone of Steve’s body.

When Tony drew back, it was with an achingly soft smile and look in his eyes. “Feel better?”

Steve couldn’t answer, but Tony didn’t seem to be looking for one, as he nodded, looking entirely satisfied with himself, and left.

Lifting a hand to touch his lips, Steve mentally wondered what the hell had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Tony doesn't do emotions, and he tries to fix everything through kisses. Rhodey was the first one it ever happened to back in MIT, and he's the one who coached Pepper through it the first time Tony planted one on her. Now, Pepper's totally cool with it, though the Avengers are rather perplexed to say the least. But they all get into it, too, once the shock's over.
> 
> Besides, Tony is an absolutely fantastic kisser. Even Jane admits it after the first time she gets a dose. Darcy just pretends to be upset so she can get some serious make out time.


	46. One-Sided Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shakespearean-ginger asked for a one-sided kiss. 
> 
> I _love_ sleepy cuddles and fluffy stuff that happens in bed. This counts. :D
> 
> Also, this is really very short, but there are going to be a few longer ones eventually that I have to figure out. ^^

He was utterly exhausted. All he wanted to do was fall in bed and sleep. Something he hadn’t been able to do on the mission, which had stretched out into a week when infiltration had turned into subterfuge and fooling the bad guys.

Now Steve was exhausted and sore, and it was all he could do to peel out of his uniform and wash off the grunge. He had enough energy to flop face-down in bed next to Tony, drifting off practically immediately.

It seemed to be only seconds but could have been longer before he felt familiar lips press to his own in a dry, comforting kiss.

Smiling against those lips, Steve let the warmth they lit in him spread through his body and follow him into his sleep.


	47. Sex Swap Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akayuki Novak asked for a gender-bent kiss. Due to the connotations of that phrase and the fact that I didn't switch genders, just sex, I just titled the chapter "sex swap kiss."

“One of these days,” Tony said grumpily, “I am going to kill Doom.”

“No, you’re not.” Steve shifted uncomfortably, tugging at the really loose uniform at his groin. The looseness at his groin was surpassed only by the tightness at his chest.

“No, I really am,” Tony insisted, the face he was making looking strange on his now feminine-looking face.

“I’m all for it,” Natasha agreed, her catsuit unzipped down to her waist to make way for her broader shoulders. She seemed displeased with having to do so.

“I’m kinda liking it,” Clint admitted, practically swimming in his outfit. “I’ve got boobs!”

“I would say be respectful, but it’s your body,” Natasha said, sighing in disgust.

“Just female,” Tony grumped, wiggling out of the last of his suit and looking utterly relieved for it. Steve had no doubt that shrinking several inches had done nothing to make it more comfortable.

“I am sorry for angering him,” Thor said, sounding guilty. He was the only one of them still normal, Mjölnir having deflected whatever magic Doom had cast. “The spell should be temporary.”

“Thank God.” Bruce was clutching a towel around his chest, having been unfortunately shirtless for the last several hours. Steve rather wished he had brain bleach for the sight of Hulk with gigantic breasts.

“Do I look like I care?” Tony glared at Thor, tugging uncomfortably at the undersuit so it gave him more space at the hips. He had short brown hair, and the arc reactor glowed softly in the middle of his chest, surrounded now by two small breasts.

Steve’s own hair was similarly cut, but he had not had the fortune to have such small breasts, and he wished he could take off the suit the way Natasha had. But he didn’t really feel like having his new assets hanging out for everyone in the room to eye.

“You look like one of those manic pixie girls Nat’s always going off about,” Clint observed, his sandy blond hair artfully tousled around his narrow face. His arms were just as muscular as they had been when he’d been normal, though they were skinnier than before.

“Go suck an egg, Barton,” Tony snapped. He snapped his fingers and pointed up. “J, fire up the fabricators with my new measurements. If this is going to stick around, I need a suit that fits.”

“Of course, sir. Should I also put in an order for suitable undergarments?”

“I would,” Natasha said when Tony looked at her. “But sport bras might work best with the reactor.”

“Okay,” Tony sighed, shoulders slumping. He brought a hand up almost unconsciously, covering the light. “You heard her, JARVIS. Let’s do this.”

It was probably bad, but Steve couldn’t look away from Tony. Tony had always looked gorgeous even as a man, but he was just as beautiful as a woman, even one who seemed at odds in his skin. He averted his eyes when Natasha gave him a smirk that seemed all the sharper for her newly masculine face.

There was no use starting a relationship now given what had happened to them.

Shifting uncomfortably, Steve pulled uselessly at his skintight uniform, wishing for a bit of breathing room. Eventually he just decided to leave and change; there’d be some clothes he could pull off that would hide his different physique well enough, even if he didn’t have a bra.

Natasha didn’t seem to agree when Steve came back up, as she gave him a clearly unimpressed look at the large sweatshirt and sweatpants Steve had pulled on for lack of anything better. She had what looked like Clint’s clothes on, as none of the clothes in her wardrobe would fit given her added bulk and height.

Tony was dressed in one of his grungy tank tops and a pair of sweat shirts that hugged his hips nicely even though they hid his feet. He seemed uncaring of the way his movements had certain…things moving around under his shirt, but he did pause upon seeing Steve, blinking once before resuming whatever he’d been saying, which seemed to be a list of things he would like to do Doom amidst whatever else had to be done to prevent this from blowing into a complete shit-storm.

Steve took a seat, not taking his eyes off Tony. It was captivating watching him move – always had been. Not for the first time he wished he could just grab hold of Tony and kiss him senseless, but that would be stupid. Steve did a lot of reckless things, but risking one of his best friendships wasn’t worth the risk.

It never would be.

* * *

“So, I want to try something,” Tony said abruptly a day later, startling Steve from his sketching.

Steve looked up at him warily. “What?”

“Orgasms.” Tony grinned, the sight just as familiar on his new face. “But kisses work well, too,” he added after letting Steve choke on air for a few seconds.

“Why are you asking _me_?” Steve managed, letting the sketchpad drop before he crinkled it anymore.

“Why not?” Tony shrugged casually, but he was watching Steve far too carefully for it to be real. “You’re hot; I’m apparently hot, too. We should totally kiss and see what it’s like.”

“Why don’t you ask Bruce?” Steve suggested, barely keeping the desperation and _want_ out of his tone. Kissing Tony now would be disastrous. He couldn’t risk it.

Tony made a dismissive sound. “Bruce has Betty. I’ve no interest in Clint, and Natasha would probably kick me in the chest. You’re my last hope.”

Steve fidgeted, dropping his eyes to his unfamiliar looking hands. “I don’t—”

“It’s a great idea.” Tony was suddenly too close, standing right in front of Steve. “You can’t tell me you _haven’t_ been curious about how things work like this.”

Steve _was_ curious. That curiosity had led to him acquiring one of Natasha’s vibrators and trying it out to great effect. He was never going to look at his regular orgasms the same way again.

A gentle hand rested on Steve’s shoulder, catching his attention. “We don’t have to,” Tony said softly, “but I’d like to.”

One kiss? Steve hesitated, eyes darting up to Tony’s lips, imagining what they tasted like. It wasn’t the first time he’d done so. And surely one kiss wouldn’t hurt? At least then he’d _know_.

“Okay,” he agreed finally.

Tony didn’t wait for anything more, leaning down and pressing his lips to Steve’s upturned ones, nipping at Steve’s lower lip. A breathless whine left Steve before he could stop it, and Tony shamelessly pressed his advantage, delving into Steve’s mouth.

It was _warm_. Tony tasted like coffee and grease, having stuck a wrench in his mouth some time ago. He was fire and want personified, setting Steve’s blood on fire.

He surged up, one hand going to Tony’s face to hold him there as Steve focused on the kiss, _wanting_.

It was too quick before Tony drew back, panting heavily, his eyes dilated. He looked rather satisfied. “I knew it.”

Steve blinked, still tasting Tony on his lips. He wanted more. “Knew what?”

“It’s entirely mutual, Steve,” Tony assured him, a soft smile that Steve hadn’t seen before flashing across his face.

Steve barely had time to register what those words meant before Tony was straddling his lap and kissing him again, his mouth just as warm and inviting as before.

Oh. _Oh_.

Wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist, Steve closed his eyes, happily giving himself over to the kiss and the reassuring knowledge that it was _mutual_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They turn back to normal in about a week, during which Steve and Tony have both explored the very lovely female orgasm many times. Tony still wants to murder Doom, but he's stopped by the way the Fantastic Four kick Doom's ass next time he shows up.


	48. The Third Party Interference Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kogouma asked for a bit more Bucky, which was seconded by Ravenwolf36.
> 
> Since we all need a little more Bucky being sneaky in our lives, I happily obliged.
> 
> Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS. (For anyone who celebrates it.)

There were a few things James was absolutely certain of. One was that Natasha was the most amazing woman in the world, No questions asked. Two was that Clint was actually a pretty chill guy and a great friend for Natasha. Three was that Steve was just as reckless and idiotic as his still rather fuzzy memories suggested he was. Four was that Steve and Tony were in love and complete idiots about it.

And James was the only one willing to do something about it.

Seriously, it had been  _months_ , and all everyone was doing was politely ignoring the longing sighs and stares from both parties. James was tired of always seeing the kicked look that Steve got whenever Tony left the room. He was tired of seeing Tony walk into walls because he was too busy staring at Steve’s ass in a pair of tight pants. He was just  _tired_.

And he kind of wanted Steve to be happy. Happy for himself and not for others, the way the self-sacrificing idiot so often was. Steve had had so little in life that was truly  _his_ , and James wanted something for Steve that would at least repay the debt he owed him.

Steve would probably hit him upside the head for thinking like that, but James couldn’t help it.

So it was with absolutely no regret and no small amount of eagerness that James put into motion the plan Operation Get Steve and Tony Together So They Can Fucking Stop Pining.

The name might need a little more work, but James thought it got the general gist of what needed to be done.

Plan A involved locking them inside the same room and waiting for the unresolved sexual tension to explode. He expected it’d take thirty minutes at the most given the stifling amount that the two usually put off.

Unfortunately, Plan A failed when he didn’t take into consideration Tony’s hacking skills. The two were out of the room in fifteen minutes, seeming none the wiser for who had locked them in. James had already gotten JARVIS’s approval for the plan, so there was no way the computer was giving him up.

Plan B involved a date.

This went horribly wrong from the beginning when Tony somehow misplaced the message James had sent him from "Steve," culminating in Tony not showing up at the date at all because he was too engrossed in his work. Luckily Steve hadn’t felt slighted, as he was distracted by a robbery that he put a stop to.

In retrospect, James should probably have done something other than send Tony a message on paper.

Plan C involved mistletoe, but James realized he hadn’t thought it through when he was caught under it with Steve. Kissing the guy who was like his brother was just wrong, and thankfully Steve felt the same way so all they had to do was kiss each other’s cheeks. Then Thor was next with Steve, and James really needed brain bleach for the ensuing scene

But now he was on Plan D, and this was going to  _work_. He knew it was.

Pushing the two together into romantic situations hadn’t really worked, so James was going to do it in  _style_. And he had the best romance books of the century to help him out. Though he definitely wasn’t going to sneak into either of their rooms and watch them sleep. That was just creepy.

He started with post-it notes for Tony, carefully mimicking Steve’s handwriting and leaving them plastered all over the workshop. He kept the notes short and sweet, only writing exactly what he knew Steve was thinking.

_I love your eyes._

_Your hands are so clever._

_Your smile is gorgeous._

_You drink too much coffee. I wish you’d take better care of yourself._

And so on.

Doing Tony was trickier, but not by much because JARVIS totally agreed to send Steve notes the way Tony would. And since JARVIS knew Tony best, he also knew what kind of notes Tony would be most likely to write.

There was no way this plan could fail. It was perfect.

Admittedly, it took a little longer than James wanted. He was tired of having them pine around each other. There were also more blushes on both their parts. James was an assassin who knew the value of patience, but he didn’t feel like being patient for this.

He’d been patient long enough, really.

Thankfully, it took only a week before Tony cracked, asking Steve out for dinner. James had to refrain from doing a triumphant fist pump, though the look Natasha shot him told him he wasn’t being very subtle.

Screw that. He didn’t need subtlety anymore. He’d  _succeeded_.

All that remained was spying on them to see that it really was going smoothly.

The kiss that he saw the two share after their date was over told him all he needed to know.

It was another successful mission, albeit one of a extremely personal nature. Unlike the last one he’d taken, no one got killed during it, and Steve was  _happy_.

It filled James with a rather warm glow that he was only just beginning to reacquaint himself with. It was something akin to happiness, and it was something he was familiar with when it came to Steve.

He wouldn’t ever regret finally getting Steve and Tony together, even if he did occasionally run into the two necking. There were some things no man needed to know about his best friend, including the way he looked with hickeys and a dopey smile.


	49. "Daddy Kissed Santa!" Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! Or Hanukkah/whatever you celebrate. Happy holidays!
> 
> This request came from annanndstann yesterday, but it really won't work any other time of the year so I'm filling it now (12/25/14). :D
> 
> I don't usually do superfamily, at least not with Peter Parker because I don't really go for that, but this was really sweet. She wanted that classic "Daddy kissed Santa!" moment where Peter sees one of his dads kissing Santa (who's actually the other dad).

He should be in bed, sleeping. That was where Papa had put him a while ago after reading him a story and putting out the light.

But he couldn’t sleep! It was Christmas and he  _had_  to see  _Santa_.

Peter wiggled excitedly, sneaking down the hall to the room with the Christmas tree. He was pretty sure no one was going to see him, not while he was using Aunt Natasha’s stealth tactics. But just in case, he had to be  _extra_  sneaky.

He’d already gotten his wish earlier for a real family, which was all he’d wanted. He’d wished for it last year, and he had to thank Santa for getting him one, even if it had been a little later than Christmas. It had only been a little late because Santa had needed to make sure that he found the right family.

And he had. Peter needed to tell him that.

Sneaking into the living room, Peter hid behind a large plant, using the leaves to hide his bright red pajamas. He peeked over the leaves now and then to check and see if Santa had come yet, but there was nothing.

Yawning, Peter rubbed his eyes. He had to stay awake and see Santa! Just this time, and then he could go back to his room and sleep like he was supposed to.

No one would ever have to know.

Sitting down, Peter kept one hand tight on the plant pot and his ears peeled for any suspicious sounds.

But even his excitement started to wane as sleepiness started to set in, and he began to nod off, eyes drooping and breath evening out—

Peter jerked awake with a startled gasp when soft laughter reached his ears. He quickly stood, carefully peeking out from behind the plant to see if Santa was there.

It was with a jolt of excitement that Peter realized he was. And he was putting presents under the tree and in the stockings!

He was about to rush out and jump on Santa when Peter realized that Santa wasn’t alone. Daddy was there, too.

Peter hesitated, unsure. He was supposed to be in bed, but wasn’t Daddy also supposed to be there? Sometimes he stayed up late, but this was Christmas. Daddy was supposed to be sleeping with Papa so Santa could come and leave their presents.

“You didn’t have to do this.” Daddy sounded fond.

Santa stood, turning to Daddy and giving him a toothy grin that was visible even from behind his white beard. His blue eyes laughed at Daddy, and they made Peter feel warm. It was the same feeling he got whenever Papa smiled at him.

“It was your idea,” Santa said, setting down the large sack he had been carrying.

“And we all know what you do with my ideas,” Daddy teased, stepping closer to Santa.

Confused, Peter wondered what Daddy was doing, talking to Santa like he was Papa.

A moment later, Peter’s eyes widened when he saw Daddy  _kissing Santa_! And Santa was kissing back!

Lost and bewildered, Peter left the room as fast as he could, not even caring about being sneaky anymore.

Daddy had kissed Santa! But didn’t he love Papa anymore?

He should ask Uncle Bucky. He would know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next morning Bucky is rather bewildered to find Peter sleeping in his room, particularly with Natasha also there. Then when he hears what Peter saw last night, he's a bit too busy laughing to try and figure out an answer.
> 
> Luckily for Peter, he didn't stay behind, because Tony and Steve _got it on_.


	50. New Year's Eve Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a small hiatus during which I contemplated my life (jk, I wrote a gift fic), I’ve returned!
> 
> LaylanatorXVII asked whether I’m doing a New Year’s Eve kiss considering I did a Christmas one. Her description was slightly different, but I was in the mood for unapologetic fluff. So here we have fluff.

It was December 31st, and California was as warm and sunny as it always was. New York was having a chilly winter with all the trappings included, and as Steve couldn’t stand the cold and the snow and Tony hated seeing his partner so discomfited, he’d packed them both off to Malibu to spend the winter there.

That he’d “forgotten” to let the rest of the team know was only incidental, even if they hadn’t been too amused with him when Steve and he touched down in Malibu. In fact, Steve hadn’t been too amused either, though his face had softened when Tony pointed out that they hadn’t had time to themselves in _ages_.

The year had been busy, and Tony still couldn’t believe that he was in an honest-to-God _relationship_ with _Steve Rogers_ (aka _Captain America_ ). It had happened as suddenly as most things in Tony’s life did. One moment he’d been watching Steve have fun at his birthday party on the fourth of July, and the next thing he knew was that Steve was marching toward him with a blush and a determined expression on his face and kissing him fiercely.

Needless to say, Tony hadn’t really looked back.

And now it was just the two of them in his house in Malibu on New Year’s Eve.

Tony couldn’t believe this anymore than him being in a relationship, though the way he was snuggled up against Steve under a warm blanket with hot cocoa was definitely feeling pretty real.

There were no fireworks planned for the night, and the TV was on mute while playing the festivities going on in New York City. Loud noises weren’t exactly preferred by either of them, and Tony was just fine with watching it happening from a distance or on TV.

His eyes closed involuntarily when Steve brushed a soft kiss against his forehead, and he had to hide a dopey smile behind his mug of cocoa.

When midnight finally rolled around in California and the seconds were being counted down by JARVIS’s holographic clock, Tony gladly turned into his first New Year’s kiss with Steve, his hand curling around the other’s neck.

It was everything he’d ever wanted, and it was all he would ever need.


	51. Pining Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugly-scented candles asked for something where Steve's pining and Tony notices (and likes him back) and decides to tease and play with him about it, culminating in a kiss where they get together.
> 
> This got really, really long, but I had a lot of fun writing it because I admit I’m a sucker for pining and happy endings and hot make-outs. Because did I mention the hot make-outs?
> 
> There are hot make-outs in here. And Tony being a ridiculous tease.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this. :)

Steve really was an idiot. Falling for someone so completely unattainable who wouldn’t give him the time of day if he knew that Steve – that Steve…liked him.

As in really liked him. Wanted more than what they had right now.

Not that it was possible, because there was no way that a guy like Tony Stark would look at Steve twice. It was good enough that they were friends, and Steve would have to be happy with that. He  _would_.

All he really wanted was for Tony to be happy, too. So what if he desperately wanted Tony to be happy with  _him_? So what if  _he_  wanted to be the one to put those smiles on Tony’s face and make him laugh?

Being friends was good enough, and Steve would always be grateful for what he had and not want more. It wasn’t in his nature, even if he might  _wish_  for more.

Sighing softly, Steve smoothed over the shading on his latest sketch of Tony. This was his second sketchbook, and he was  _trying_  not to fill it up entirely with sketches of Tony like he had the last one, but once again he was failing. He was already a third of the way in, and all he’d done were sketches of Tony’s face, his eyes, his hands, Tony in the workshop, Tony sleepy in the kitchen,  _Tony sleeping_ —

Steve forced himself to put the pencil down when he noticed that he’d begun sketching anew on another page, this time with a softly etched out profile of Tony smiling, his eyes closed and his laugh lines crinkling.

Mouth dry at the sight that he could picture as clearly as if Tony was standing in front of him and giving him that smile, Steve closed the sketchbook and pushed the pencil away, thinking that he’d done enough drawing and dreaming about things that couldn’t be.

Maybe he should go torture himself some more in the kitchen. There was always a chance that Tony would come in for some coffee or a snack.

Biting his lip, Steve took all of a pitiful second to make his decision and go. He really was a sucker, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it because he was seriously _gone_. And he’d tried.

He’d seriously gone on several of the blind dates Natasha had set him up on, but every one of them had flunked when Steve couldn’t get Tony’s eyes or face out of his mind. It also didn’t help that he kept comparing all his dates to Tony and finding them distinctly lacking in some fundamental way. Which wasn’t at all fair to the women that Natasha approved of.

Natasha was still trying to set him up, but Steve thought it was more out of habit than anything else. He wasn’t sure if she knew about his hopeless affection for Tony, but chances were that she did, and that she was trying in her own way to help Steve get over Tony.

Not that there was a chance. Once Steve fell, he fell hard, and there wasn’t any chance of going back.

Rubbing his face, Steve was only mildly surprised to find Tony already in the kitchen and waiting on something in the microwave. “Tony.” The word left him before he could stop it, and he was pathetically grateful that nothing of his thoughts could be heard.

Tony turned to him, a bright smile on his face that had Steve’s heart skipping a painful beat before picking the pace up double-time. “I didn’t know you were still up.”

Only because Steve couldn’t sleep at two in the morning. “I could say the same for you.”

“You know how it is.” Tony brushed it off dismissively, still smiling. “Genius waits for no man.”

“You sure it’s not the coffee?” Steve couldn’t help tease.

Tony scoffed, eyes narrowing briefly, though his lips twitched. “Blasphemy. I’ll have you know that I  _can_  sleep with caffeine in my bloodstream.”

Needing to occupy his hands with something, Steve went for a glass of milk, using that as an excuse not to look at Tony. His heart needed time to recover. “At this point, I don’t doubt it.”

“Warm milk before bedtime?” Tony’s voice was light.

“If it works, it works.” Though Steve hadn’t had any intention of warming it up, not with Tony watching the microwave above the stove.

“I could think of a few other things to tire you out.” Tony’s voice had lost most of its teasing edge, taking on a distinctly husky edge that had shivers running down Steve’s spine and his ears heating up. His heart thumped painfully against his ribs, hoping despite itself.

Steve kept his voice even through sheer willpower. “I’m sure.” He capped the milk carton, putting it back in the fridge and taking a breath of cold air to calm himself and his flushed cheeks. By the time he turned around to face Tony, he was feeling distinctly more composed.

There was a small glint in Tony’s eye that had Steve feeling wary. “I’m sure you’re sure.”

Steve paused, fingers tightening minutely on his glass before he forced them to relax. He wasn’t entirely sure what Tony was playing at here, but he was pretty sure that it wouldn’t turn out well for him. Things usually didn’t, especially if he was too tongue-tied to shoot back his usual witty rejoinder.

The microwave beeped, sounding distinctly proud at having finished defrosting whatever Tony had put in there. It smelled like the leftovers from dinner to Steve’s nose, but with a lot more salt.

Steve didn’t even have time to move before Tony brushed by him to get to the microwave, unnecessarily bumping his hip against Steve’s as he opened the door and pulled out a large bowl of steaming pasta.

Steve’s strangled noise went buried in the milk, and he desperately clutched at the counter, too aware of how his cheeks were suddenly scorching hot.

Tony gave him a lazy smile, eyes half-lidded as he waved a fork in Steve’s direction. “Night, Steve. Enjoy your  _milk_.” There was something distinctly dirty about how he said the last word, and Steve had absolutely no idea why Tony’d even said it like that.

Five minutes later, Steve was left standing in an empty kitchen with a glass of milk and a microwave that seemed to be humming the theme to  _Star Trek_.

On the plus side, he was no longer fire engine red. On the negative side, Tony wasn’t there anymore, and Steve was practically positive something was going on.

Something that didn’t bode well for him.

* * *

The next day was movie night, and it was Tony’s turn. Instead of picking science fiction or science fantasy or something to do with robots –  _Pacific Rim_  had been a repeat showing for  _months_  after it came out – he picked  _When Harry Met Sally_ , which was an uncharacteristic movie for him considering it was a romantic comedy and Tony had professed rather loudly a while ago that he hated romantic comedies.

Steve didn’t want to find out why Tony had picked this movie, but he had a feeling he would sooner than later.

Steve usually sat on an armchair by himself during movie nights, not trusting himself to sit next to Tony on the couch. Unfortunately, this meant that Steve had a pretty clear peripheral view of Tony sitting on the couch, and he usually spent more time than not looking at Tony, frequently missing out on entire movies because he was too engrossed in staring at Tony’s face and watching his reactions.

Tony typically didn’t notice anything, and Steve was more than happy with that. Only this time, Tony was already looking at him whenever Steve looked, dark eyes fixed on his face.

Steve found himself quickly returning his eyes to the movie whenever that happened, a blush riding high on his cheeks. He could feel Natasha staring at him, though Clint got her to subside quickly enough with a small murmur in her ear.

Then the orgasm scene in the restaurant happened, and Steve’s eyes automatically skittered to Tony, only to meet Tony’s. Tony was smiling, his eyes dark with a hidden emotion that Steve didn’t dare read. As Steve watched, Tony’s smile widened, and he arched his head back, accentuating the curve of his neck.

Steve itched to press his lips against Tony’s pulse point, to mark him up so that everyone knew  _Steve_  had done that, to make Tony whimper and moan under him—

Flushing hotly, Steve forced his attention back to the movie, barely focusing on the end of the scene and an old woman ordering the same meal as Sally.

The rest of the movie passed in a blur, because there was no way that Steve was getting that dark look in Tony’s eyes out of his head.

Or the arch of his neck, curved so invitingly for Steve to just—

Just no.

…But he  _wanted_.

* * *

Interactions between him and Tony continued in a similar vein for the next week, spiraling further and further until Steve felt like he was vibrating out of his skin, constantly on edge with  _want_  and  _need_  but unable and unwilling to do anything about it. He was constantly on tenterhooks with Tony, his heart picking up and his skin continually flushed no matter what Tony did.

Tony could be slugging down a bottle of water and Steve would want to lick up his throat because of how it looked. And then there was how Tony had eaten red, white, and blue popsicles in front of Steve in the most suggestive manner possible and looked completely innocent while doing so, carrying on a conversation with an oblivious Bruce who hadn’t batted an eye at taking a green-colored popsicle. Though thankfully Bruce hadn’t treated his popsicle the same way.

Not that Steve would’ve noticed, his eyes stuck on Tony as they had been.

Groaning softly, Steve buried his face in his hands, tugging gently at his hair. He was on his way down to Tony’s workshop, having been called for what was probably a uniform fitting. He wasn’t sure if it was a good choice, being in a small space alone with Tony. Not with what had been going on the last week.

Steve let no sign of his indecision show on his face by the time the elevator doors slid open. He was cool, calm, and collected as Tony grabbed hold of his arm and pulled and pushed him toward his latest inventions, gesturing and talking excitedly only as Tony could. It captivated Steve, and he watched Tony with a warm sensation in his chest that threatened to bubble over any moment.

He had no idea what was on his face, but it must have been something telling because the next time Tony looked at him, a strange expression crossed his face before something akin to determination settled.

Before Steve knew it, Tony had set his fingers on Steve’s chin and angled his head for a kiss, pressing warm lips to his own.

Steve registered the taste of metal and coffee before Tony drew back. He instinctively chased after for more, wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist to pull him closer.

The warm feeling his chest spilled over, along with the roiling emotions of the last week, and Steve was kissing Tony heatedly before he realized it, a desperate noise escaping him as Tony reached up to fist his hair. He whimpered into Tony’s mouth when the other pushed him into the table, shuddering as Tony slid a hand down Steve’s back and over his leg before hitching a hand behind Steve’s thigh, fingers curling under his knee.

“Do you”—Tony drew back, panting into Steve’s mouth—“have any idea how crazy you make me?”

Steve was just as breathless as Tony, if not even more so. He swallowed, licking his mouth for the aftertaste of Tony and desperate for more now that he’d had a taste. “Not as crazy as you make me.” His voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable.

Tony’s eyes darkened. “The way you look at me.” His voice took on that same husky undertone from that night in the kitchen, and Steve shuddered again, eyes slipping closed involuntarily. He let out a helpless moan when Tony nipped at his collarbone, head dipping back in invitation. “You’ve no idea what ideas that puts into my head.”

Steve’s throat worked, voice stuttering as Tony nipped his pulse point, teeth just shy of inflicting pain. His head tipped to the side, his fingers clenching tightly in Tony’s shirt. “Show me?” He sounded breathless, want burning through every inch of him.

“I will.” Tony’s voice was low, and he pressed a warm, open-mouthed kiss to the side of Steve’s neck, then another to the underside of Steve’s jaw, making him tremble. “But first…” He drew back, though Steve’s grip on his waist didn’t let him go far. “You want this, right?”

Blinking, Steve struggled to clear the haze from his brain, but he wasn’t very successful, Tony’s warm body against his own like a drug. “I do.” He wasn’t quite sure what question he was answering, but he added more just to be sure. “I want this. Have wanted this – wanted you.” He pressed his hand against the small of Tony’s back, keeping himself carefully still.

Tony’s voice was ridiculously clear as he asked, “A relationship? A one-off?”

Steve shook his head. “The first – that.” Unless Tony didn’t want that? Fear skittered through him, just as effective as a cold shower. “Unless you don’t…?”

“No,” Tony rushed to assure him, a warm smile pulling at his lips. He pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of Steve’s mouth. “I want it. Just making sure.” He pressed another kiss to Steve’s lips, too short for his liking. “I needed to be sure,” he said, as if to himself.

“I’m sure.” Steve chased Tony’s lips for more. “I…” A thought struck him. “Were you teasing me?”

A sheepish look crossed Tony’s features, confirming Steve’s suspicions. “You looked so cute all flustered, I couldn’t help it.”

Frowning, Steve opened his mouth, fully intending on giving Tony a piece of his mind, but all his objections vanished when Tony pressed up against him and took full advantage of his open mouth.

Moaning helplessly, Steve melted into Tony’s hold, his weight resting on the table behind him. Fingers skated up Steve’s back under his shirt, nails scraping gently over his skin, and Steve shivered, arching into the touch.

“That’s it,” Tony murmured into Steve’s mouth, breath coming in heavy gasps. He nudged his nose against Steve’s, pressing wet, open-mouthed kisses to Steve’s jaw, his cheek, under his ear.

Knees weak, Steve clutched at Tony’s solid body, small, desperate noises escaping before he could stop them.

His heart thundered in his ears, and warmth was burning in his chest, setting his skin afire with every brush of Tony’s skin against his own. He needed more, would always need more.

Steve licked into Tony’s mouth, heat and something akin to a blazing happiness burning through him at the thought that he could have this – have Tony, as perfectly ridiculous as he was. Steve didn’t even mind the teasing anymore, not with how Tony was kissing him.

It was everything he’d wanted and everything he’d needed.

But he was still going to give Tony a piece of his mind for that teasing. Maybe even drive  _Tony_  crazy now that he knew he could.


	52. Lady and the Tramp Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Latina shewolf asked for a lady and the tramp kiss, like in the movie. So, they're not dogs, but I came up with a fun and _cheesy_ way to make it work. ;D

“This is the cheesiest thing you’ve ever done,” Tony said.

Steve’s feet tangled with Tony’s under the table. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“What about that time with the roses?”

“This is cheesier.”

“Or the bath?”

“Steve.” Tony stared at him sidelong, the candle-lit table in front of them and that ridiculous romantic Italian music playing on an infinite loop around them. “This is cheesy.”

“Literally,” Steve said happily, picking apart a gooey strand of cheese on their single bowl of pasta that sat in front of them.

“Pun not intended,” Tony said, sighing. His heart gave a pitiful flutter in his chest at the happy flush on Steve’s face and the way he was looking dopily at Tony, that small smile on his face just for Tony.

Steve’s smile twitched and faded slightly a few seconds later. “Do you not like it?”

Tony rushed to reassure him, taking hold of Steve’s other hand that wasn’t holding a fork. “I was just being an ass. It’s you. How can I not like it?”

Steve brightened, and he unexpectedly popped a meatball into Tony’s mouth. “Good. Then you won’t mind if we start before it gets cold.”

There was only one fork, but Steve seemed happy enough to feed Tony his first bite after he was done with the impromptu meatball.

“You gonna let me feed you, too?” Tony asked, gesturing at the fork still in Steve’s hand.

“Sure.” But Steve pushed another forkful of spaghetti in Tony’s mouth before he could take the fork, and this time the pasta wasn’t coiled tightly enough to make it all the way in.

Before Tony knew it, Steve had leaned in and taken the strand of angel hair that hung out of Tony’s mouth into his own and was nibbling it, his blue eyes on Tony’s. It was only a second before Steve’s lips met Tony’s, and he swallowed reflexively at the touch, the pasta mostly whole.

“I’m not feeding you like that,” Tony managed when Steve drew away.

Steve pressed the fork into Tony’s hand, that ridiculous smile on his face that always made Tony fall a little more in love. “That’s okay.”

Tony picked up a meatball and pushed it into Steve’s mouth, smearing tomato sauce and cheese over his lips. Smirking at Steve’s face, Tony didn’t even wait for him to swallow before pushing in to lick off the sauce and cheese, laughing in his chest as Steve attempted to swat him away.

A second later they both tipped off the bench Steve had set up in the workshop, landing on the floor, the fork clattering somewhere out of reach.

Not that Tony really cared. He was too busy making a meal of something a lot tastier than a plain bowl of pasta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dummy ended up framing the spaghetti when Tony wasn't looking, using it commemorate the first time Tony and Steve did the do in front of him. Tony's not quite sure what's there to commemorate, but he goes along with it. The next time Pepper and Rhodey come into the workshop, neither of them is particularly sure if they want to know why it's there, and Steve and Tony aren't telling.


	53. Deliberate Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of [Accidental Kiss](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1758185/chapters/6047618), prompted by several other readers including blackturtlesofdeath.

Steve could still taste Tony on his tongue, and it had been several hours since Tony had kissed him out of the blue in the kitchen and then left without any explanation. Practically no one had expected that to happen, so they’d all just sat there, stunned, blinking and wondering what was going on.

Steve had spent far too long running his tongue over his lips and trying to catch the aftertaste of Tony, who’d tasted like coffee, something suspiciously grassy, and metal. He’d also tasted something else that was probably just Tony himself, and Steve really wanted to see if he could get that taste again.

He licked his lips one more time, disappointed when he didn’t get anything else.

“Why are you licking your lips?” Bucky asked, startling Steve. He was standing in front of him, head tilted to the side curiously. “No, wait…you’re remembering this morning, aren’t you.”

Steve didn’t answer, but he felt his ears flush heatedly, and he ducked his head.

“Funny thing,” Natasha said, flopping backwards over the couch so her head was lying next to Steve’s thighs. “Pepper says that Tony occasionally thinks he’s dreaming before he gets a good cup of coffee in the morning. Rhodey’s confirmed.”

“So he thought he was dreaming.” Steve ran his fingers over his lips before he could stop himself, only to force his hand down when he realized what he was doing. He was rather disappointed at the information.

“Don’t be an idiot.” Natasha somehow managed to whack Steve on the head with her foot, still looking completely dignified. “He thought he was dreaming, and he made out with you. Not me. Or James. Or Thor.”

A hot flush of jealousy burned through Steve at the thought of Tony kissing anyone else, and he instantly forced it down. He shouldn’t feel jealous. He had no claim on Tony, regardless of whether he was in a relationship with him or not.

“Steve.” Bucky bent over, looking Steve in the eyes. “Either you kiss him and put the man out of his misery, or I will purposefully make sure that he kisses you every single morning before he gets his coffee.”

Steve’s lips twitched. “That’s not exactly a punishment.”

“Then I’ll make out with him.” Bucky raised his eyebrows, face otherwise blank.

“Should I be jealous?” Natasha drawled, raising an amused eyebrow at Bucky.

“I’m sure he’d be up for a threesome,” Bucky suggested, grinning now.

With a faint noise that definitely wasn’t a squeak, Steve excused himself from the room before Bucky and Natasha did anything else. As was his luck, he ran into Tony practically instantly, colliding into him chest first and almost throwing him to the floor.

Steve caught him just in time, yanking him back onto his feet. Then he stood there, holding Tony’s arms and staring into the other’s face.

Tony blinked at him, very clearly awake. “Nice reflexes.”

Tony frequently made decisions on a whim, but he wasn’t the only one. With one more look at Tony’s face and the memory of his taste, Steve made his decision.

“You’re not dreaming,” Steve told Tony, letting his hands drift up Tony’s arms to his shoulders. He didn’t think he imagined the shiver running through Tony.

“I’m not?” Tony’s voice was even.

“No.” Steve leaned in close, feeling Tony’s warmth pressed against his body. “You’re not.” He closed in the few remaining inches for a soft kiss, sighing when he tasted  _Tony_  and not coffee or metal or that weird grassy thing.

Tony made a soft, surprised noise against Steve’s lips, his own parting slightly. Steve shamelessly took advantage, licking inside and thrilling at the way Tony practically melted into his arms.

Nipping at Tony’s lower lip, Steve reluctantly drew back, his eyes on Tony’s dazed face.

Slowly opening his eyes, Tony blinked, his pupils blown black. “Okay…” His voice was hoarse. “What brought that on?”

“It doesn’t have to be a dream,” Steve said, not moving away. “I mean…if you want.”

Tony blinked again, head tilting slightly to the side. “I must not have had my coffee,” he muttered.

Steve’s heart sank, and he was about to tell Tony that  _yes_ , he’d had his coffee and more, but then Tony’s mouth was on his again and he couldn’t be bothered to pull away, groaning happily into the kiss.

He had plenty of time to convince Tony of the reality of the situation later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, Bucky and Natasha are wondering when exactly they should go out, as neither of them wants to run into Steve and Tony kissing.  
> This is confirmed when they hear a suspicious sounding thump fifteen minutes later, and Bucky proposes that they play their own version of seven minutes in heaven. Natasha agrees.
> 
> Thirty minutes later, Clint wishes that he had brain bleach on hand, as he had not needed to see four of his teammates macking on each other. Ever. Sam is sympathetic.
> 
> It takes Steve a few weeks to fully convince Tony of the reality of the situation, and it involves lots of making out and dating.


	54. True Love's Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap girl's prompted "true love kiss or spell breaking kiss,"and I didn't want to do something terribly cliche, so I went with this. [sakuratsukikage](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sakuratsukikage) helped me out with the topic. Thanks so much! <3

It happened so subtly that almost no one noticed. Even Steve nearly missed it, and it was only because he found out that Tony hadn’t been in the workshop for days that he realized something was wrong.

Then, with this new knowledge in mind, Steve considered the last month.

Tony hadn’t been as loud as he usually was. There were less jokes and snarky replies, and he wasn’t around as often. In fact, Steve hadn’t really seen him outside of the kitchen in ages, and even those appearances had dropped off as the month passed by.

It hurt that he hadn’t noticed something was wrong until he’d gone down to the workshop one day and noticed that Tony’s bots looked down in the doldrums and JARVIS told him that Tony hadn’t been inside for seven days. For Tony that was unheard of, and it was a sign that something was really wrong.

But should Steve do something about it?

He was friends with Tony, but he didn’t want to presume that it meant more than it did, even though he wanted it to. He’d missed Tony this last month, but he’d assumed it was because Tony was busy, and not because something was  _wrong_.

Running hands over his face, Steve considered his options. He could just leave it alone, but he chafed at the thought because this was  _Tony_ , and if Tony was hurting, then Steve did. So that really only left him the option to check up on Tony. He could tell Pepper, but what if the problem  _was_  Pepper?

It took Steve only a little bit more to make up his mind, and then he was making his way to Tony’s floor and asking JARVIS to override the lock that Tony had put on it. Why hadn’t anyone else noticed?

Fidgeting nervously, Steve told himself that he was perfectly within his rights to check up on a teammate and friend. He  _was_.

It was just…he definitely wasn’t unbiased here. He was far from it.

And when the elevator doors slid open and he didn’t see Tony in the living room, Steve wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was relieved. It gave him a little bit of breathing room as he continued to search for Tony, who ended up being inside his completely dark bedroom.

Pulling in a rather shaky breath, Steve wiped his clammy hands off on his jeans and stepped inside. “Tony?” His voice sounded loud in the absolute silence of the room.

The lump under the covers didn’t move.

Steve swallowed, walking forward until he was right by the bed, so close that all he had to do was reach out to touch Tony. “Hey, Tony.” When there was still no response, Steve tentatively reached out to touch Tony, feeling for his shoulder. “You okay?”

This time there was a response, though it was so quiet even Steve almost missed it. “Go away.”

“I’m not going to.” It was probably presumptuous of Steve, but he sat down on the bed, still keeping a hand on Tony. “What’s wrong?”

There was a heavy silence for several minutes, but this time Steve let it be, waiting patiently for Tony to respond when he was ready.

When the reply came, it was heavy and tired. “I don’t know.”

“Are you sick?”

That kind of question usually would’ve prompted a disgusted response from Tony for Steve’s obtuseness, but now Tony just sounded dull. “I don’t know.”

Fingers squeezing lightly, Steve kept his voice calm. “When did it start?”

There was a heavy sigh, and finally Tony’s head poked out from under the blankets, eyes closed. “A month, maybe? It was…after that fight with the lady in green.”

The Enchantress, Steve remembered. It had only been because of Thor that they’d taken her down, and Thor still hadn’t come back from Asgard after taking her back.

“Did she hit you with something?”

There was a small movement under Steve’s hand that was probably meant to be a shrug. “Don’t know.”

Steve hesitated slightly, wetting his lips anxiously before saying, “We’re – I’m worried. I haven’t seen you around.”

There was a faint huffing sound. “Not like you’re missing much.”

Steve blinked, taken aback at the blankness of the statement, the way it was uttered like Tony really believed it. “I’m missing a lot,” he said eventually, twisting so he was facing Tony more fully. “I’m missing my – my best guy, Tony. It’s awfully dull without you around.”

Tony made a disbelieving sound. “You don’t like me.”

Steve inhaled sharply, reeling back slightly at the words. That Tony thought that – that Tony  _said_  that…he couldn’t breathe for an interminable moment, his throat locked up and chest too tight.

Then suddenly he could, and he felt like throttling Tony, telling him that he  _was_  liked. That  _Steve_  liked him, wanted him to be around all the time, wanted him in more ways than one—

Swallowing down the words, swallowing down the constant yearning, Steve forced himself to keep his tone gentle and his grip on Tony’s shoulder similarly so. “I like you. You’re funny, smart, cute, don’t know when to shut up, and care about us. You’re great, Tony. I’m…I’m sorry you think that I don’t like you – that you think it’s true. Because it’s not. You’re amazing, Tony, you’re so amazing, and—” He had to stop, lest he started saying something else that Tony wasn’t ready to hear. Forcing the words down again, Steve closed his eyes, dropping his chin to his chest. “You’re amazing,” he repeated for the third time.

Tony was silent, staring up at Steve through dark eyes that looked too defeated for the man that Steve knew. “Why doesn’t it feel that way?” he asked finally, voice soft.

Steve smiled sadly, hand moving without thought to touch Tony’s face, his thumb stroking Tony’s cheek. “I don’t know. But it’ll be all right, Tony. I promise.” It wasn’t a promise he should make, but Steve wasn’t always the smartest bulb in the box, and when it came to love, he made stupid decisions.

Tony’s face turned slightly into Steve’s hand, eyelids fluttering. It was that little motion that decided it for Steve.

A swarm of butterflies took root in Steve’s stomach, and his breath came fast, his heart pounding in his ears. But he was going to do this. He was.

Without hesitation, Steve leaned down to softly kiss Tony’s forehead, eyes closing briefly at the warmth of Tony’s skin under his lips. He had to pull away all too quickly, aware that his cheeks were burning with embarrassment. Maybe Tony couldn’t see it in the dark, but Steve was plenty aware of it.

Tony’s eyes were wide, his breathing stuttering. “St-Steve?”

“Like I said,” Steve said, unable to resist smiling down at Tony. “You’re amazing, Tony.”

There was no warning before Tony’s hand fisted in his collar and he was abruptly pulled down into a clumsy kiss from Tony that landed on his nose instead of his mouth, which was what Tony had probably aimed for.

“It’s gone,” Tony breathed, sounding shocked and bemused. “It’s…I can think.” He blinked, face so close to Steve that he was breathing into Steve’s mouth.

Steve almost drifted closer to Tony’s warmth, nose bumping Tony’s before he realized what he was doing and pulled away slightly. “You’re – what was that?”

There was a wry twist to Tony’s mouth. “I’d guess magic.” He brought up his other hand to Steve’s cheek, rubbing his thumb over Steve’s cheekbone. “Thanks.”

“For what?” Steve was all too aware of how close they were, of the mere inches separating their mouths.

“For helping. For trying, at least.” Tony’s smile this time was brighter, and it sent Steve’s heart twisting through his chest. “You’re a good friend, Steve.”

Steve’s heart twisted again, this time painfully. “You, too.” He swallowed, ears burning in embarrassment at the pitiful reply. “I mean, uh…you’re—”

“Amazing, I know.” Tony sounded amused now. “You’ve said.”

“You make it difficult to think,” Steve said without thinking. He instantly wished he could take it back, as there was really only one way to interpret that.

But Tony was just looking intensely at him. “Oh?”

Steve’s eyes flickered to Tony’s mouth; he wet his lips instinctively. “It’s – ah…it doesn’t matter.”

“You know,” Tony said slowly, the corner of his mouth curling into a gentle smile, “you make it difficult to think, too.” Before Steve could think of what that meant, Tony had pulled his head down to kiss his forehead in imitation of what Steve had done.

Steve’s heart jumped in his chest, his breath stuttering in shock as he registered the warmth against his forehead before it disappeared, the contact all too brief.

Oh.  _Oh_.

His eyes returning to Tony’s, it was all Steve could do not to fall into him. He wanted to do this right.

“Can I take you out?” Steve asked, his hand clutching at the blankets pooled in Tony’s lap. “As a date?”

Tony grinned, the sight bright and so beautiful that Steve’s chest ached with it. “Yeah.”

Steve grinned back, helplessly. He was still grinning as he pressed a kiss to Tony’s cheek, happiness warming him from the inside out.


	55. Locked-in-a-Closet Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get too used to the really long fills. Because they're gonna get shorter eventually...
> 
> Kogouma requested "'the sexual tension between you two is getting on our nerves so we've decided to lock you in this closet that even Steve can't bust down until you kiss or make out' kiss? Bucky and Natasha are of course the ones to push them in said close because 'goddammit Rogers if you can jump out of bloody planes without parachutes and rescue my ass from a HYDRA base then you can bloody kiss Stark already."

“So, I know my memories are kinda fuzzy, but I know what you look like when you wanna bang someone,” Bucky said one morning.

Steve choked on his orange juice.

“No problem,” Bucky continued as if Steve wasn’t desperately trying to clear his airways. “I got your back.” Then he patted Steve’s shoulder and left.

Steve was left standing in the kitchen, rather terrified about what Bucky would come up with.

But nothing happened for the next couple of days, and he was able to sink back into a state of relaxation and enjoy being around Tony. Who he maybe wanted to “bang.” In a nice way. With kisses. And sex, of course.

Sometimes Steve thought Tony felt the same way, but Tony was a damn good actor, and it was almost impossible to tell if it was true or if it was just Steve’s imagination. So he didn’t do anything, content to stay friends with Tony and dream about being more.

Until the sixth day rolled around and Bucky somehow managed to finagle Steve into a closet and lock the door. Steve couldn’t even protest about the handling because he crashed into someone else in the same closet and squashed them to the floor.

Tony’s indignant squawk was all too recognizable, and Steve peeled himself off him as fast as possible, blushing scarlet and thankful it wasn’t visible in the dim light of the reactor.

“I’m sorry,” Steve said, anxiously patting Tony down. “Are you okay?”

“Oh sure.” Tony waved him off, wheezing only slightly. “I just had two hundred pounds of super-soldier slam me into the floor, but I’m  _fine_. And locked in the closet, which I could’ve sworn I came out of in my teens.”

Steve stammered slightly at the implications of the statement, backing away as Tony sat up. He wanted to touch Tony again, but he kept his hands to himself. “Who got you?” he asked instead.

“Our lovely resident assassin who could be a spider, except she doesn’t stick to walls like another superhero named after a spider.” Tony made a face. “I should do something about that, really.”

Steve wisely didn’t point out that Natasha wouldn’t like the insinuation that she was somehow lacking. “Maybe we should get out first?”

“Great idea.” Tony waved at the door, shifting so that he was leaning back against a wall. “Have at it, Terminator.” He winked at Steve.

Flushing, Steve turned, fully intending on wrenching the door open. Only it didn’t budge.

After five minutes of futile shoving and kicking at the door, there was a static crackle and Natasha’s voice sounded. “ _Sorry to tell you this, boys, but you’re locked in until you sort yourselves out._ ”

Tony made a sound similar to that of a dying cat. Steve glanced back at him, concerned, only to see that Tony had buried his face in his hands.

“Sort what out?” Steve asked, jiggling the doorknob despite the knowledge that it was futile.

“ _I did say I had your back._ ” Bucky sounded entirely too satisfied with himself. “ _Have fun banging him_.”

Steve flushed scarlet, and he heard another sound that might have been a strangled whimper before it cut off. That noise definitely hadn’t come from him, so he glanced over his shoulder, only to meet Tony’s wide eyes.

“I don’t have my suit,” Tony said abruptly.

Steve wasn’t sure where he was going with that, so he didn’t say anything in favor of making a questioning sound.

Tony averted his eyes, waving a hand. “So don’t go – uh –  _banging_  on me.”

“Oh.” Steve’s voice broke embarrassingly on the word, and he had to clear his throat. “No, ah…he meant the other…kind of banging.” He forced the words out, embarrassment and mortification rushing through him. This was awful. He hadn’t wanted to tell Tony like this – hadn’t wanted to tell Tony at  _all_.

Tony’s lips parted on a surprised inhale. “Ah.”

Steve bit his lip, shuffling to the spot across from Tony and sliding down to sit against the wall. “I’m sorry about them.”

There was a heavy sigh, and when Steve looked up at Tony, he saw a rueful smile on the other’s face. “Don’t be. It’s not…” Tony sighed again, knocking his head against the wall. “It’s not just you,” he finished quietly.

The space seemed suddenly too small, and there wasn’t enough air. Steve’s fingers clenched tightly in his jeans, and he told himself that maybe Tony hadn’t meant it the way it sounded.

“You mean…” Steve couldn’t get the rest of the words out.

“I’d bang you,” Tony said bluntly.

There…was really no way to misconstrue that statement. “Oh.”

“Oh,” Tony echoed, the corner of his mouth ticking up in a smile. “So…my question to you is…do you wanna bang?” There was even a small eyebrow wiggle.

Steve snorted before he could stop. “Please stop.”

Tony didn’t give up. “Do you wanna tango?”

A startled laugh escaped Steve. “Is that – is that even a saying?”

“Can’t tango without two,” Tony said seriously, eyes dark. “And I trust you.”

Swallowing, Steve inched forward, pressing his feet to Tony’s. “Me, too. I mean, I trust you, too.”

Tony’s answering smile was far too lewd for the conversation they’d just been having, but all of a sudden he was in Steve’s lap, and that wasn’t anything Steve was prepared for. “So what do you say we give them a show, then?”

Dizzy with warmth and disbelief, Steve stared up at him, his hands flexing on Tony’s hips. He didn’t even remember putting them there, but apparently he must have because Tony’s skin was warm under his fingers, and he could feel the fine dusting of hair on Tony’s back.

“I…yes.” Steve leaned up before he could think the better of it. Tony met him halfway, the kiss gentle at first.

Then something changed, and Steve struggled to keep up, gasping into Tony’s mouth like he’d just run ten marathons in a row without a break. Tony’s hands were fisted in his hair, and his weight in Steve’s lap was all too real and his skin warm under Steve’s hands.

Distantly, Steve was aware that they were still locked inside a closet in Tony’s tower. But he couldn’t really bring himself to care given that Tony was in his lap and kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

It didn’t even matter that he had to think of a way to get Bucky and Natasha back for this.

No, Steve decided, wrapping his arms around Tony to haul him closer. Right now, all he wanted was this.

Though they’d be hard-pressed to bang each other without supplies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Natasha unlock the closet door about an hour into it and thank JARVIS for his help for procuring the necessary door and hinges that Steve couldn't break down. They also leave a plastic bag of supplies in front of the door with a note.
> 
> That doesn't stop Steve and Tony from eventually getting their own back. It involves sticky shoes and gloves and a lot of parkour.


	56. The Dummy Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really hard to title. Like...what? D:
> 
> An anon and Ravenwolf36 both prompted a kiss initiated by Dummy, so there's this. :D Featuring adorkable bots that are too cute for their own good.

As an artificial intelligence, Dummy wasn’t very smart. It took him a great deal of time to make any decisions, and even then he often made the wrong one. Sometimes he did something right, but even when he was following orders he invariably messed up and made creator_Anthony Stark mad.

Not that his creator_Anthony Stark was ever  _truly_  upset with Dummy, but he did so very badly want to do something right that creator_Anthony Stark would be proud of.

So with all his limited processing capabilities, Dummy watched, observed, and took copious notes that he hid around his charging station. Then he meticulously studied those notes and formulated a plan that would change everything. And maybe he’d get out of the next upgrade that creator_Anthony Stark had scheduled.

They always made him feel a bit weird until he got the hang of whatever creator_Anthony Stark had decided to install. (The time with the new wheels was something no one wanted to think of.)

Eventually, following several weeks of careful study and observation, Dummy made his decision.

Creator_Anthony Stark smiled and laughed most when friend_Steve Rogers was around. Friend_Steve Rogers smiled and laughed and stared after creator_Anthony Stark whenever creator_Anthony Stark wasn’t looking. After searching the Internet, Dummy realized that what friend_Steve Rogers was most likely doing was called “pining” (and not “pinning” after he first misspelled the word and wondered why he hadn’t seen friend_Steve Rogers pin creator_Anthony Stark to the floor like the definition suggested).

Dummy’s creator_Anthony Stark was also pining. Sibling_JARVIS had been muttering about it privately where creator_Anthony Stark couldn’t hear, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it.

That meant Dummy had to.

After some more research that involved several romantic comedies that had sibling_JARVIS ask Dummy multiple times what exactly he was doing and sibling_Butterfingers and sibling_You suggesting other routes of possibility, Dummy had the perfect plan.

The next time creator_Anthony Stark and friend_ Steve Rogers were in the workshop together, Dummy wheeled around behind creator_Anthony Stark and carefully started pulling at his shirt.

Creator_Anthony Stark almost fell out of his chair. Dummy froze slightly, not wanting him to injure himself, as Dummy didn’t even have the fire extinguisher on hand to do something about it.

“What are you doing?” creator_Anthony Stark asked, looking down at Dummy with what Dummy’s sensors registered as a frown on his face.

Wheeling his camera around to check that friend_Steve Rogers was still in the same place, Dummy pulled more gently on creator_Anthony Stark’s shirt, maneuvering him until he was right in front of friend_Steve Rogers.

“Dummy, what—”

With something that humans would identify as excitement running through his processors, Dummy pushed creator_Anthony Stark into friend_Steve Rogers, only intending on giving him a gentle nudge. To his dismay, creator_Anthony Stark crashed into friend_Steve Rogers, who tripped backwards over a stool, and they both hit the floor, their faces mashed together in what Dummy recognized as a kiss from the movies he had watched.

Dummy spun around in glee, prodding creator_Anthony Stark in excitement before he ran off to share his excitement with sibling_Butterfingers and sibling_You.

The mission had been successful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve don't exactly agree, but then JARVIS actually has to explain to Tony what it was that Dummy was trying to do, which invariably leads to mushy confessions and make outs in the workshop. And invariably this also leads to sexy times in the workshop, which Dummy doesn't understand because he's never actually watched porn, so he sprays the fire extinguisher thinking that they're in pain.
> 
> Tony and Steve both agree not to have sex in the workshop again, as being sprayed by foam had really killed any boners going on.


	57. Nightmare Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akayuki Novak asked for a nightmare kiss. Nightmares are always tough, but they're better when you have someone with you.

There were good nights and there were bad nights for both of them. Some nights Tony found himself back in Afghanistan, choking on filthy water and the memories of being shocked by a car battery in his chest. Other nights he found himself lost in space without oxygen and utterly, completely  _alone_.

He didn’t know what Steve dreamt about on his bad nights, but judging from the way he woke up shivering violently, Tony would bet anything it involved the ice.

The good nights were great. Those were the nights that Tony got to bed and snuggled with Steve, both of them sleeping soundly through the night with the occasional mishap when Steve rolled on top of Tony and attempted to squash him in his sleep. They were comforting and worth every single bad night.

Still, that didn’t mean that Tony didn’t actually want to punch the bad nights in the face, because they really, really sucked.

Tonight was one such night, and Tony found himself shaken awake by Steve’s shivering and muttering underneath him. Rolling off, Tony put some space between them, hating it but realizing the necessity. He’d been through enough nights like this to know how to deal with Steve having nightmares, and not being around to get punched was one way.

Tony said Steve’s name, keeping his voice gentle. When Steve didn’t respond, a soft whimper escaping him, Tony repeated it in a slightly louder voice, fingers clenching in the blankets.

Steve shook violently, twisting around to face Tony, breath coming in sharp gasps. There was a split-second where Steve froze up, and then with a strangled gasp that sounded suspiciously like Tony’s name, his eyes snapped open, meeting Tony’s.

It took Tony only a few seconds to recognize Steve was cognizant, and then he gladly let Steve pull him closer, letting the other tuck him into his broad chest, his arms coming around him.

Steve was still shaking, full-body tremors that Tony could feel shaking his frame under his hands. He shushed Steve, running gentle hands up and down Steve’s back, waiting until the shivers subsided and Steve’s tight grip relaxed, letting Tony breathe more easily.

Meeting Steve’s eyes, Tony read the apology before Steve even spoke it, trapping it in the space between their mouths as he leaned up for a kiss. Steve met it gladly, arms tightening a fraction before loosening again, and his hand stroked up Tony’s back to tangle in his hair.

Gently breaking off the kiss, Tony pressed another close-mouthed one to the corner of Steve’s mouth, shushing him again. He knew it’d take a while for Steve to get back to sleep, but he could keep him warm and safe.

Steve tucked himself into Tony’s body, all six-feet-two shrunken into a compact form that allowed Tony to hug him close.

Pressing another gentle kiss to Steve’s hair, Tony closed his eyes, feeling another full-body shudder wrack Steve’s frame before he finally went lax in Tony’s hold. He pulled up the blankets over them both, stroking a hand through Steve’s hair and breathing.

The bad nights were bad, but they were always worth it for the good nights.


	58. Cold Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nightowlv requested a "cold or icy kiss," and left it up to me whether it should be fluffy or angsty. I went the angsty route. xD

“Can we go somewhere warm next time?” The words were difficult to force out through numb lips, his teeth long having stopped chattering.

Tony’s arms tightened around him, and his breath was hot against Steve’s cold face. “Yeah.” His voice was soft. “How’s Hawaii sound?”

“Warm,” Steve sighed, tucking his forehead to Tony’s neck, burying himself closer into Tony’s body, using the little warmth that the armor gave off.

They’d crashed in one of Russia’s most desolate regions in the dead of winter, something in the storm having taken out their flight systems. Tony had been in his suit, and ordinarily Steve wouldn’t have an issue with the cold aside from subconscious memories, but he’d taken a hard hit when the plane had gone down, and he was having trouble focusing.

“Hey, stay awake.” Tony’s voice was sharp, jerking Steve back into awareness. A metal finger stroked at Steve’s face.

“You can’t…” Steve swallowed reflexively as a brutal gust of wind whipped around their makeshift shelter of the plane’s debris. “Fly out?” He thought he might’ve asked that question before, but it was hard to remember.

“No, hon.” Tony hugged him tighter, his legs squeezing around Steve’s. “Not in this storm. And not without you.”

Steve shifted, not feeling anymore pain from his leg, which had definitely been hurting before. “Think my leg’s better,” he murmured.

There was a small hitch in Tony’s breathing. “The cold’s numbed it.”

“I don’t feel it anymore.” Steve craned his head back, catching sight of Tony’s brown eyes and worried face. “That’s bad, isn’t it?” His thoughts were sluggish.

“Yes, Steve.” Tony’s lips pressed tightly together. “That’s bad.” The faceplate clinked shut a second later, and it took only a few moments before scorching heat warmed Steve’s front, and he winced, trying to pull away. The suit whirred as Tony held him fast.

“It’s hot.” Steve pulled in a pained breath.

“Good.” Tony’s voice was too impersonal through the suit’s modulators.

There was something wrong about Tony warming the suit up like that for Steve’s comfort, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of why. But he did know that he needed to see Tony’s face, not a blank mask. “Let me see your face?”

The faceplate slid open. Tony’s eyes looked funny, and his mouth was doing a strange twisting thing. Steve didn’t like it.

He reached up to press numb fingers to Tony’s lips. “Hey,” he breathed.

Tony’s lips pulled into a tremulous smile under Steve’s fingers. “Hey. You’ll be all right. I promise.”

“Not worried about me,” Steve said.

“I know.” Tony tilted his face up, kissed Steve’s fingers, and then pulled them back down to press against the heat of his chest. “But let me worry about you, okay? No sleeping on me.”

“No sleeping,” Steve agreed, already feeling the effects of having a space heater snuggled up to him. Light shivers were beginning to wrack his frame as he realized just how cold his back was, and he wished there was something other than his torn uniform protecting him.

“That’s it.” Tony shifted back, allowing Steve to lie more fully against him. The faceplate closed again, but Steve’s eyes had closed as he struggled to curl up into a ball and conserve heat.

There was a moment where he drifted, only for Tony’s sharp voice to yank him out of it. “I’m up,” he whispered, turning his face into the warmth of the suit’s chest plate.

“Tell me what you’ve planned for Hawaii,” Tony said, tone calm through the suit’s modulators.

They weren’t in Hawaii right now. “Why?”

“Just because.” Tony’s arms tightened a fraction around Steve. “C’mon, Steve. Humor me, will you?”

Tony should be talking. He did all the talking usually anyway, but something told Steve he needed to talk so he could stay awake. Otherwise he’d fall asleep, and there was something bad about that.

“Okay,” Steve said, nodding slowly, his cheek rubbing against the warm metal. “Hawaii…”

It seemed like an eternity before the storm died out and the team found them. By the time Steve was thoroughly warm and defrosted and under a mound of blankets and wrapped up in Tony’s warm and  _human_  arms, he was all too willing to go to every hot region on planet Earth as long as it meant he stayed out of the cold.


	59. Undercover Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in a mood for fluff, so I dug into my log of prompts for the kissing meme to come up with something suitably fluffy.
> 
> Or, well, it didn't _have_ to be fluffy, but I went with fluffy!
> 
> This one was prompted by Ecanus Gazadriel, who simply asked for an undercover kiss.

It wasn’t as if Steve had meant to get involved with anyone on this assignment. It had just… _happened_.

Of course, if he tried to tell anyone this, all he got was incredulous laughter, pats on the back, and Bucky’s pacifying “Sure, Steve.”

But things being as they were…

Steve was screwed. Royally screwed.

All they had wanted was information on who was dealing weapons under the table, and now Steve was in way over his head with the arrogant-but-too-cute-for-his-own-good CEO who had eyeballed Steve as a person of interest from the moment Steve had stepped foot into the building.

It was like Tony had a sixth sense for figuring out who was hot and helplessly attracted to snarky billionaires who were too sweet for their own good.

It was only luck and Steve’s fast thinking that had him avoid being appointed to Tony’s personal protection detail, but that didn’t mean Tony hadn’t made it a point to always drop in on Steve to make sure he was settling in well and enjoying his new job.

Which had led to Steve somehow agreeing to go on dates and now…this.

He hadn’t thought Tony was anything other than what the media painted him to be, but he had been proven utterly wrong by the second date and the third shy smile Tony gave him when Steve said something unexpectedly sweet.

Those shy smiles were only for Steve, and he didn’t know  _how_  he’d gotten so in over his head, but it was a problem now.

And it became even more of a problem when Steve found out who was responsible and had to figure out how to get Tony to leave the premises and stay out of the way and  _safe_ without revealing his true identity.

“ _Just get him out,_ ” Bucky hissed at him over the comms.

“ _Knock him out,_ ” Clint suggested.

“ _Don’t knock him out,_ ” Natasha disagreed.

“ _Haul him over your shoulders!_ ” Bucky added unhelpfully.

Steve manfully ignored the increasingly lurid suggestions from his teammates in favor of focusing on Tony and trying to get him to leave. “Maybe take a walk?” he asked.

Tony thankfully didn’t look suspicious at this suggestion, but he also didn’t seem convinced despite Steve’s completely persuasive tones. “It’s cold.”

“You have a thick jacket,” Steve said.

“ _How romantic, Stevie,_ ” Bucky groaned.

“ _Kiss him and manhandle him into a private closet,_ ” Natasha said blandly. “ _I’m sure he has lube._ ”

Steve’s face heated up at the mental image, and any hope that Tony hadn’t seen was dashed when the other’s eyes darkened.

“Oh?” Tony raised an eyebrow, a slow smirk curving at his lips. “What are you thinking there, Stephan?”

The use of his fake name had Steve shaking out of his thoughts, sending a cold shiver down his spine at the reminder that Tony had no idea who he  _really_  was. That Steve had gone into this relationship lying through his teeth. “I could…warm you up,” he said finally, managing a smile that hopefully didn’t look as strained as it felt.

“Mm…tell me more.” Tony leaned back in his chair, knowing exactly what that position did to his features.

Tearing his eyes away from the inviting arc of Tony’s neck and the curl of his hair at his nape, Steve forced himself to meet Tony’s eyes. “I’d…rather show you.”

Then, stepping around the desk separating them, Steve leaned down over Tony, locking their lips together in a drugging kiss that had stars spinning behind his eyes.

From there, Steve barely noticed their progress from the public setting of Tony’s office to a more private room just off it that had a luxurious couch.

It wasn’t until a while later – a  _long_  while later and much stripping of clothes – that Steve found himself wondering if his team had managed to do what they needed.

Tony stretched out over Steve, looking much like a satisfied cat. “You’re right,” he murmured, eyes dark. “That did warm me up. Was that enough time for your team, Captain?”

Muddled as he still was with endorphins, it took Steve a few seconds too long to register what Tony had just said and what that meant. “What?”

“Your artful deception had me fooled for all of a day,” Tony informed him, sounding amused and not at all hurt. “I was hoping you’d come clean eventually, but the look on your face is good enough.”

Flabbergasted, all Steve managed to say was a breathless “How?”

“You have very recognizable features, Steve,” Tony said, gently stroking Steve’s face with calloused fingertips. “Rhodey recognized you right off the bat, even with that atrocious dye job.”

Red hair didn’t look _that_  bad on Steve.

“It really does, sweetheart.” Tony ran his fingers through Steve’s hair, tugging gently at the strands.

“You’re…not upset?”

“A little peeved, maybe.” Tony shrugged. “But it’s not as if I’ve been entirely honest either. I’m hoping this means we can both be honest with each other, starting with me meeting your team.”

Steve was too fixated on that first comment to really worry about Tony knowing about his team. “What are you hiding?”

“I think that’s for me to know, and for you to find out,” Tony said, winking. He scooted up over Steve, drawing closer to his face. “And while we’re waiting on the green light, why don’t we have another round?”

There were a dozen reasons Steve should protest, but all of them vanished the moment Tony brushed clever hands over his chest and started kissing Steve’s neck, slowly leading up to capturing Steve’s hitched breaths with his mouth.

There would be no end of teasing from his team after this. Steve just  _knew_  it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Tony's secretly been doing away with all of the double-dealing Stane's been doing, and not _quite_ Iron Man style, but similar enough. And then Steve's team just like "WHY DIDN'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIM?" to which Tony's response is just that they took care of Stane for him. They don't stop sulking for months and Tony just finds it hilarious.


	60. From Sweet to Hot-and-Heavy Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More happy fluff! And lots of kissing!
> 
> This was requested by LilyT, and the prompt would rather spoil the contents… It was fun to write.

Steve didn’t even know when it had started, only that one day it was absolutely normal and just another part of his routine like breathing or eating or blinking.

It wasn’t even anything  _embarrassing_ ; it was just…private.

The first time Steve probably actually noticed what he had been doing was one early morning when Tony had come into the kitchen – all sleep-mussed and soft – and Steve imagined pressing a hand to the small of his back and leaning in for a gentle kiss above Tony’s ear.

That had been the point when Steve realized he was horribly over his head, because he did it  _all the time_.

In the afternoon, when Tony was all dressed up for something SI-related and all Steve wanted was to run his hands over that slim figure, smooth out the creases, and press a soft a kiss to Tony’s forehead before seeing him off.

In the evening, when Tony was hyper and gesturing wildly about something or another and Steve thought about catching one of those hands and touching his lips to those clever fingers.

In the morning, when Tony was just as hyper and coming off of an engineering blackout and Steve imagined brushing his hands through that wild hair and smoothing it down before kissing Tony’s nose.

At lunch, when Steve could see himself pressing against Tony’s back, winding his arms around his waist, and breathing in Tony’s scent at his neck before kissing the nape, hairs tickling his nose.

At dinner, when the team was together and ribbing each other and laughing and Tony still looked so startled and surprised whenever he looked at them all – like he could scarcely believe he was  _here_  – and Steve wanted to kiss the creases by his eyes and watch him squint.

When Tony was grinning exuberantly in response to an awful joke he’d told or because something just made him  _happy_ , Steve wanted to lean in and kiss the corner of that gorgeous grin. He wanted to kiss all of Tony’s smiles, feel them curving against his own lips until he could list them all by the mere shape and feel of them against his skin.

So, yes, he was rather in over his head. Steve could quite easily admit this – if only in private because anyone else would rib at him mercilessly.

And…it wasn’t as if it was awful thinking about Tony like this. It wasn’t…it wasn’t the greatest either, because Steve just  _wanted_. He wanted to know how Tony tasted, how he smelled, how he felt when he was happy and relaxed.

He wanted to wake up and see Tony in the kitchen and be able to lean in and kiss him gently on the lips and feel his warmth.

But he  _wasn’t_  able to, so…

Steve was fine was that. He  _was_.

It wasn’t as if it was the worst thing in the world that he  _couldn’t_  kiss Tony, but…it would still have been nice.

So when it eventually happened – against all odds – Steve was entirely unprepared for what it was really like.

It had been Natasha who’d pushed Steve into actually asking Tony out for a date. And when Steve had done so, he had been surprised to have Tony agree.

The date itself had gone well despite Steve’s increasing nerves. He just couldn’t help but wonder if they’d finally kiss at the end, and he couldn’t help but wonder what it would  _feel_  like.

It was Tony who pressed in for it once they were back in the tower, although Steve closed the rest of the distance in his eagerness.

It was just as warm as Steve had expected, and Tony’s lips were soft. His goatee tickled Steve’s skin slightly, but it wasn’t overly distracting.

He brought his hand up to trace the edge of Tony’s jaw, fingers trembling slightly as he touched warm skin and eventually reached soft hair.

But when he started to pull away, Steve was pulled back in by two insistent hands that had fisted in his shirt, and Tony was opening his mouth and…oh…

It was even warmer than before and wet and – Tony did something with his tongue that made Steve’s toes curl and his fingers spasm and curl tightly to cup the side of Tony’s neck.

Steve found it difficult to think beyond the mere action of chasing after Tony’s warmth and how he tasted, so he was completely surprised when he felt the wall pressing against his back and Tony pushing his body flush against his, warmth blazing across Steve’s front.

Dizzy with want, Steve pulled away to breathe, only to regret it a second later when Tony used the opportunity to press dozens of kisses to his jawline, his neck, and down to his collarbone. Steve clutched at his waist, trying not to dig his hands too tightly into Tony’s skin but distantly aware he was probably failing.

But it wasn’t until Tony worked his way back up to Steve’s mouth and licked his way back into it that Steve realized he was making noises –  _embarrassing_  noises – and abruptly he was even hotter than before.

So it was simultaneously a relief and a torment when Tony stopped, finishing with one last drugging kiss and a chaste peck against the corner of Steve’s mouth. “Sorry.” Tony sounded just as breathless and wrung out as Steve felt. “I – that wasn’t part of the plan.”

It took Steve a few swallows before he found his voice, and even he couldn’t resist darting in for his own quick kiss to the corner of Tony’s lips, wanting to feel that wry smile. “I don’t mind.”

Tony’s eyes were dark. “Really?”

Steve nodded, winding his arms more securely around Tony’s waist. “Yeah, I…” He didn’t know how to explain that kissing Tony had been all he wanted for  _months_.

Tony nosed the underside of Steve’s jaw, breath warm against his skin. “Do you want more?” His voice sent shivers down Steve’s spine.

“Yes.” Steve’s voice sounded breathy to his own ears. “But…just kissing?”

He felt Tony smile into his skin before pressing a gentle kiss to his pulse point. “We can do that.”

Later, Steve wasn’t quite sure exactly  _how_  much time they spent kissing and making out against the wall before eventually moving to a couch, but he did know that he no longer had to subsist entirely on fantasies. It was now entirely possible to memorize the feel and taste of all of Tony’s smiles and the scent of his hair and warmth of his skin whenever Steve wanted.

It was possible to  _touch_  now.

And when Steve did just that the next morning, stepping into Tony’s space and slinging his arms around his waist like he’d yearned to do for so long, he met Tony’s smile with his own as he pressed their lips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet kisses like these are some of my favorite to write. <3


	61. Death Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Before_ you pull out your pitchforks and demand to know why I brought so much angst into this collection of nothing-but-fluff, I’ll have you know that _two_ anons requested this angst-ridden prompt. (Is it really angsty? I’m having some issues telling at this point.)  
>  EDIT: I was mistaken. Two anons and Baby Hedgehog-Cute but DEADLY requested this prompt. That makes three.
> 
> BUT THERE WILL BE A FIX-IT. The next one will be that fix-it.

This was…bad.

As in, Steve-was-trying-to-hold-his-stomach together bad.

He didn’t even remember how exactly it had happened, only that he’d obviously failed to block the sharp, pointy thing with his shield and paid for it with a sharp pain in his stomach.

There was a lot of screaming, he registered dimly. Both on the field and inside his ears.

Steve didn’t realize that he’d collapsed until someone was turning him around, frantically muttering numbers and snapping Steve’s name in a frightened voice.

“Steve,  _Steve_ , come on. You’re still breathing – I know you are – open your eyes—”

Something warm and metallic bubbled up in his mouth. Steve coughed painfully, spitting it out as he struggled to breathe. He managed to open his eyes, instantly meeting Tony’s wide ones.

“Hey, Steve,” Tony breathed, a wobbly smile crossing his face. He was pressing his hands into Steve’s stomach – hard enough that Steve was having some issues breathing – but he couldn’t actually  _feel_  it.

That was bad.

“You’re going to be okay,” Tony said quickly. “There’s a lot of blood, but you’re going to be  _okay_.”

 _Liar_ , Steve wanted to say, but the word wouldn’t come. He coughed again, the taste of metal sticking to his tongue.

“Hey, Steve, open your eyes!”

It was with a great will of effort that Steve managed to do it, Tony’s ashen face the first thing he saw. He wanted…just one…last thing.

His hand felt like lead, but he managed to touch Tony’s cheek, wanting to feel his skin but unable to because of his glove.

Tony blinked, eyes going suspiciously watery. “Don’t give me that look –  _don’t_.”

Steve didn’t have any strength left in him to sit up or pull Tony down to him, but there was a reason they had always worked so well together on the battlefield.

“ _Fuck_.” Tony’s voice broke. Without moving his hands, Tony leaned down, pressing his lips desperately to Steve’s.

Steve’s last breath smelled of Tony.


	62. Tearful Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did promise a fix-it, didn't I? Here it is!
> 
> A kiss full of tears as requested by Fi Suki Saki, and it worked well in this situation. Though it's not really a worried Steve.

He was…numb.

That wasn’t exactly good, but it was better than the roiling hysteria and sharp grief that he could tell was bubbling just below the surface.

There wasn’t even blood on his hands. That was all on his suit, which he had dumped the first chance he could, not wanting to feel the echo of the constant pressure on Steve’s punctured and torn stomach under his gauntlets.

Shivering at the memory, Tony covered his face with his hands, digging them into his eyes briefly before running them through his hair.

When they came back into view, Tony froze at the sight of red smeared on his palms. For a dizzying moment, he didn’t know where it had come from before he remembered abruptly that there must still be some sticking to his face from – from—

_Weak fingers touching his cheek, wide eyes asking for **one last thing** that Tony couldn’t deny him, even with the blood and grime smeared all over his face, and the last thing he felt was an inhalation before the body underneath his hands went **limp** —_

With a jolt, Tony shook his head, putting his hands out of sight. He couldn’t think of that, or he’d just fall apart.

“Tony.” Natasha’s voice was soft, and the way her shoulder brushed gently against his as she sat down next to him was comforting in ways he couldn’t express.

He nodded briefly, eyes closing as his head lowered.

Steve had been pronounced dead by the time the medics arrived on scene, JARVIS giving Tony all his vital information ( _or the lack of_ ) in plain view on his HUD. There had still been fighting going on, but Tony – Tony hadn’t…

He’d been lucky that Hulk had been nearby, taking care of anything that tried to come close enough to do the same.

Tony might have let them do it, too.

There was a heavy sigh as someone else sat on Tony’s other side before a leg came to touch Tony’s in solidarity. “I’m sorry.” Sam’s voice was rough.

Tony’s shoulders crept up to his ears, his head shaking slightly.  _No_.

If Thor hadn’t been there… If Thor hadn’t come back the day before…

There was still a chance things could do wrong. Tony couldn’t dare hope, but he also couldn’t  _help it_.

“Here.” Natasha’s voice was quiet, and she pressed a wet cloth into Tony’s hands.

Wordlessly, Tony took it, slowly wiping at his face. When he was done, he rubbed his hands clean before just…holding onto it. Needing something solid.

Sam and Natasha continued talking in soft voices over Tony’s head, Sam asking about James and Natasha saying something about James needing fresh air. There was no discussion about where Thor and Bruce were, since there was only one place they could be at the moment.

Time blurred. All Tony was aware of was the clutch of the drying cloth in his hand until Sam took it away, the murmurs of his friends and Pepper’s eventual arrival as she took Natasha’s seat to rub a hand over his back, and always the memory of that last kiss.

There had been so much  _blood_.

It wasn’t until Bruce finally came back, utterly exhausted and smelling of chemicals, blood, and still clothed in sterile cloths that Tony managed to stir, led to the room that they had put Steve in.

And it wasn’t until Steve opened his eyes (how long after Tony didn’t  _know_ ) that Tony found the numbness retreating. Steve looked bewildered, confused at being alive and breathing, and there was no way to tell him that he had  _died_  and it was only because of Thor that he  _wasn’t_.

Tony didn’t even realize he was crying until Steve reached up to touch his face with shaky fingers, wiping away the tears and trying to say something even though his voice cracked and failed.

It wasn’t until Steve drew him down for a kiss on his own strength that Tony allowed himself to let go.


	63. Thank-God-You're-Alive Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stacee Phelps prompted this kiss _ages_ ago, but since I took a break from filling prompts I sort of stopped at this one… But I picked it back up this week since I was without Internet and at an expressive arts retreat. Which was interesting, but I did want to write some!
> 
> So I filled some prompts! :D They’re going to go up over the next few days, starting with this one.
> 
> The prompt was: “they’ve been fighting all week-one of them is presumed dead and they haven’t made up-but then the one is found alive but injured and they kiss.”

Steve could still scarcely believe that Tony was alive. Not after the horrible week he’d had, where he’d thought for sure that Tony was _dead_.

And the last thing he’d told Tony was that he wasn’t cut out for relationships if he couldn’t be bothered to spend some time with Steve. The look on Tony’s face – heartbroken, stricken, and then blank as his mask came on – had haunted Steve every minute since he’d learned that Tony was dead.

He’d known going in what Tony was like with relationships; Tony had _told_ him. And yet Steve had rubbed it into his face.

And then Tony was dead due to a car crash and now he was _alive_.

Not that anyone had known because the kidnappers had been too clever for anyone to notice anything amiss. It wasn’t until a warehouse had been blown sky high in Tennessee and Tony managed to get in touch with JARVIS that the plan had been revealed.

And Steve… Steve hadn’t even hesitated to appropriate the Quinjet for his own ends to get to Tennessee as fast as possible. Not that the others complained, since they were all eager to see Tony and really confirm that he was _alive_.

He paced the length of the waiting room, jaw tight and hands fisted as he struggled not to barge into the room where Tony was in. They were still checking him over, bandaging any injuries he had and assessing for more.

He itched to touch Tony, feel his warmth and know for sure that Tony was alive. He wanted to wrap around Tony and let his warmth soak into his skin, melting the ice in his bones. He just _wanted_ , the sensation like a rope around his heart, pulsing with every beat.

So when the doctor came out, saying that they could see Tony now, Steve didn’t hesitate before running, vaguely registering the door slamming open as he barged into the room.

Tony looked beaten nine ways to hell, bandages wrapped around his arms and patched over his neck. Bruises dotted his face, dried blood was smeared into his goatee, and a careful line of stitches stretched over his cheek. Yet he was the most beautiful thing Steve had ever seen.

So the tentative expression on Tony’s face as he saw Steve broke his heart all over again. As did the frail smile. “Hey, Steve—”

Steve wasn’t even sure what he was doing beyond clutching Tony’s good hand in his own and leaning in for a desperate kiss. Warmth bloomed through him from the contact, and he was barely aware that he was crying, breath hitching with each inhale.

“God, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m _sorry_.” Steve pressed his nose to Tony’s good cheek, breathing in greedily and tightening his grip on Tony’s hand. “I love you; I didn’t mean anything I said. I’m so glad you’re alive.”

Tony made some kind of noise that sounded faintly disbelieving and happy all at once.

And he was looking at Steve like he hung the moon, eyes wide and bright and _alive_.

Steve managed a watery smile, pressed a kiss to the skin under the stitches, and then kissed Tony again.

Tony’s heart beat under his hand, pounding out a rhythm of _alive, alive, alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I briefly considered making it longer, but that would've stretched to something really long for a prompt fill, so I kept it to this.


	64. Snow Angel Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> starchasr2737 asked for a kiss "while they make snow angels or something with snow," so I _sort_ of did the thing. As in...you'll see once you read it.

“You have to admit,” Tony said, “the snow isn’t  _that_  bad.”

Tony was bundled up in several different layers, only the upper half of his pink face visible. The lower half was covered by a blue scarf that Tony kept up with one gloved hand, since the wind kept blowing it off.

Steve himself wasn’t  _that_  cold – seventy years in the Arctic had done wonders in that aspect – but he couldn’t stop shivering. Still, looking at Tony and the way he was bundled up and clearly grinning had warmth burning in his stomach. It was so good seeing him happy and enjoying himself.

“Okay, so it’s cold,” Tony said when Steve didn’t say anything. “And it’s wet. But take those factors out of the equation and it’s pretty.”

“The problem’s that  _we’re_  also in that equation,” Steve pointed out, wrapping the scarf around tighter.

“Semantics.” Tony’s eyes crinkled further. “You know what this much snow is good for?”

Nothing good came from that particular tone of voice. “What?”

Tony’s answer came in the form of a snowball to the face, followed up by a tackle to the gut that had Steve falling to the snow in a wet flop. He grabbed for his own handful of snow, aiming to mash it down the back of Tony’s jacket, only to find himself with his eyes full of even more snow as Tony cackled.

“Snowballs!”

There was flailing. A lot of flailing.

And some wrestling as Steve tried to get Tony underneath him and failed as Tony managed to mash another handful of snow in his face every time he tried.

He wasn’t quite sure how he succeeded, only that he eventually did manage to get Tony pinned under him. They’d lost their scarves somewhere in the scuffle, and their hats were gone as well. Snow clung to Tony’s hair and his cheeks, melting in the wake of his body heat. His cheeks and nose were red with cold, but he didn’t seem to mind, grinning broadly up at Steve.

“That’s one way to make a snow angel.” Tony wiggled pointedly under Steve.

Carefully on guard, since Tony liked nothing better than to surprise Steve with dirty tricks, Steve chanced a quick glance at their surroundings. There was clear evidence of their scrimmage, and the snow around Tony wasn’t clearly defined as  _wings_ , one could generously describe it as such.

If they squinted and couldn’t see well.

“Was that your goal?” Steve asked wryly, shifting his weight so that he could lean down over Tony.

“Did I succeed?”

“For a given definition of ‘succeed.’”

“Then I did.” Tony grinned up at him. “Since I’ve got you exactly where I want.”

Pinning Tony to the cold snow?

A second later, Steve realized what Tony meant when the other closed the rest of the distance to give him a surprisingly warm kiss, nipping at Steve’s lower lip. His breath was even warmer, sending shivers down Steve’s spine.

All too soon, Tony broke away. Steve chased after him unthinkingly, nose bumping into Tony’s cheek.

“What do you say we move this indoors?” Tony asked breathlessly, audibly grinning.

Tony’s warmth still clinging to his lips, Steve couldn’t agree fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? Sort of!
> 
> They warmed each other up _thoroughly_. ;)


	65. Calming Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oky Verlo asked for a calming kiss! And with the premise that is found in the fill. ;)

Tony hated hospitals. They were too sterile, smelled funny, had weird colors (who thought that shade of green was calming?), and people died all the time. Sure, they got better (sometimes) but they also died.

Hospitals were where people died.

And Steve shouldn’t be in a hospital because he wasn’t dying and he would be  _fine_.

Tony  _knew_  that (since there was really no other option to consider). And, all things considered, hospitals were also the best place to get injuries treated. Technically speaking, this wasn’t even a  _hospital_ , since S.H.I.E.L.D.’s medical wasn’t one. It still smelled like one, but thankfully there was no off shade color of green.

Since Steve had (stupidly) injured himself in the line of duty by taking one too many shots from the energy gun that today’s villain had carried, he was in medical getting his burns tended. It wasn’t as if they’d take forever to heal; he was an enhanced human. But they still needed to be disinfected and bandaged.

And Steve wasn’t making it easy, insisting he was fine (even though he very clearly  _wasn’t_ ). “No, that’s fine, it’ll heal on its own—”

“I understand, Captain, but it’s proper procedure—”

“It’s not going to  _do_  anything—”

The nurse was looking increasingly harried, face pinching with every word Steve was saying. Tony could clearly envision bloodshed in the near future (and not the nurse’s).

“And I thought I was bad with dodging medical,” Tony said loudly, getting Steve’s attention. “Who’s the one always telling me to come in and make sure I’m taken care of?”

“Because your injuries are usually  _broken ribs_. This is  _fine_. I’ll be all right by tomorrow evening if I leave it alone.”

“And you could be all right by the morning if you let this wonderful nurse do her job.” Tony shot her a brilliant smile.

Steve set his jaw mulishly. “It’s a waste.”

Holding back a sigh, Tony set a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “It’s not a waste if it does its job.” He softened his tone. “C’mon, Steve…” Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to the corner of Steve’s mouth, murmuring, “Wouldn’t it be nice to be better faster?”

Steve stilled, apparently not breathing. It took all of a moment (during which his eyes visibly dilated much to Tony’s amusement) before he turned to the nurse and submitted to all her administrations without further fuss.

Bribery notwithstanding, Tony didn’t regret a thing. It meant he got out of medical that much faster and that Steve wasn’t wincing every step of the way. All the kisses in the world were worth that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not _entirely_ sure I filled the spirit of your prompt, but I hope you like it!


	66. Morning Breath Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 03gvr98 asked for a morning breath kiss! So I obliged. ;)
> 
> For some reason, this title seems poetic...

There were few mornings when Tony was actually awake before Steve. Although Steve was most emphatically  _not_  a morning person, he did tend to wake up bright and early to run. And Tony was also not a morning person, but he didn’t force himself out of bed at the crack of dawn to do physical activity.

Which usually meant that Steve was up and about hours before Tony. It also resulted in good breakfasts because Steve could  _cook_  (generally only breakfasts; no one liked thinking about the other meals Steve had attempted), so Tony took the lack of body heat in the morning as an acceptable loss.

Still, the mornings when Tony  _was_  awake before Steve were few and far between. They were the mornings after a hard battle, when Steve was so exhausted he’d hit the pillows and go straight to sleep. They were the mornings when he really didn’t want to do anything and could persuade Tony to stay in a little longer (no hardship, really). They were the mornings when Tony was up first and managed to wiggle his way around Steve and cling to him like an octopus so no running was possible.

Today was one such morning.

It was bright and cold outside, but inside their cocoon of blankets was nothing but warmth. Tony was loathe to separate from Steve’s warmth and tackle the rest of the room, and thankfully he could just lie there and soak it in.

He could also just stare at Steve so…priorities!

It was odd seeing Steve at rest. He was normally so boisterous and energetic that Tony often felt tired watching him move (or energized, depending on what was happening). So seeing Steve sleeping was…nice.

His nose did a little scrunch when something tickled him, and he snuffled softly when breathing. Steve tended to frown quite a bit when he was awake, usually in response to a mission or something else, but there was no frowning while he was sleeping. He also clung like a limpet when given the opportunity.

Since Tony did, too, he really couldn’t complain. They’d be limpets together (Clint had laughed himself sick when he’d overheard Tony say this one time; James had just looked like he was wishing for brain bleach).

Aware that he was probably staring at Steve with a ridiculously sappy smile on his face, Tony pressed in closer to nuzzle at Steve’s neck, breathing in his warm scent. There was something different about it in the morning, almost like his smell was also sleeping. It left him feeling warm and fuzzy.

Tony tightened his arm around Steve’s waist, stroking a hand up his warm back, feeling the fine hairs that dusted the skin. Steve shifted slightly, murmuring under his breath.

Tony stroked again, relishing the warmth.

There was another murmur, and then Steve was opening his eyes, visibly still groggy. “Mm?”

Not wanting to break the early morning stillness, Tony just gave him a smile before leaning up for a kiss. It was just closed lips at first, but then Steve sighed into it and parted his lips, silently asking for more.

Instinctively, Tony obliged, only to mildly regret it a second later when the bitter taste came into play. Enhanced human or not, morning breath was still a factor (even if it wasn’t  _as_  bad with Steve).

Still, the way Steve hummed happily into it and snuggled closer was definitely worth it. As was the unbearably gentle smile he gave Tony afterwards.

There were few things Tony loved as much as waking up before Steve in the mornings.

And loving Steve was definitely one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The _sap_.


	67. Over the Eyebrow and Behind the Ear Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HeCallsMeDarlin suggested a kiss over the eyebrow or behind the ear. I mashed them both together. ;)

“We should move to a bed,” Steve managed, barely recognizing his own voice.

“Mm-hm.” Tony didn’t say anything else, taking the elective to move further down Steve’s neck to start nibbling at his collarbones.

“ _Tony_.” Steve arched his neck despite himself, heart pounding in his chest.

Tony’s hands flexed where they were under Steve’s shirt, tracing nonsensical symbols into his skin. “What?” The word was mumbled, barely understandable.

Steve managed to scramble together enough of his brain to say, “Bed.”

“What about a bed?” Tony sounded far too coherent for Steve’s taste.

Taking a breath, Steve bit his lower lip, using the pain to center himself. “It’ll be more comfortable,” he said finally, pleased with how firm it came out.

Tony pulled away from Steve’s skin, pushing up until he was looking Steve in the eye. “And you’d like that, huh?” He grinned lazily, lips red.

Steve leaned in for a kiss before he could think, pulling at Tony’s lower lip until he sighed and pressed closer, letting Steve in. They kissed for a long moment – several moments – just _being_.

Steve was so warm from the contact, heat blooming through him and setting his nerves pleasantly ablaze. It took him far too long to remember that there was a question to answer.

Only he didn’t remember it.

“Yes,” Steve said finally, vaguely, into Tony’s mouth. A “yes” was always good.

“Okay.” Tony sounded dazed, and he seemed reluctant to pull away.

Steve also didn’t want to move, but he remembered something about a bed. There’d be more space there.

Tony planted one more kiss on Steve’s mouth before moving up and putting one on his nose, over his right eyebrow in a happy accident when Steve made a noise, and then his forehead.

Finally he pushed himself off entirely, linking their hands together with the movement to pull Steve up as well. It wouldn’t have been possible without Steve willingly following after him, wanting his warmth.

There was a soft laugh. “Bed, remember?” There was another captivating grin.

Like he was magnetized, Steve leaned in, fully intending on kissing Tony, only to get the skin behind his ear when Tony turned his head. He briefly considered complaining but realized this had its own charm.

Tony’s arms were around his neck before he knew it, pushing into where Steve was nuzzling behind his ear. Steve planted another kiss there, smiling into the warmth and comforting smell of _Tony_.

“You said _bed_ ,” Tony reminded him, words breathy.

Steve just hummed, but he did move his hands under Tony’s thighs to lift him up. Tony wrapped his legs around him, so much closer than before.

 _Warm,_ Steve thought fuzzily, nosing into Tony’s hair.

And a bed. A bed would be very good by now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like schmoop. (Can you tell?)


	68. Sad Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is _super_ old, but it was on my tumblr and I found it when I was looking through my stuff, and I figured that I should post it to the fic because it is a kiss. It's just not a Steve/Tony kiss. The pairing here is Bucky/Tony, and it was requested by an anon.

This had been a mistake.

They shouldn’t have done this.

But they  _had_ , and now he was lying next to Tony, watching him sleep. James hadn’t been able to fall asleep after their activities, although he’d been drowsy enough to try.

It was just…they  _shouldn’t_  have.

James wasn’t an Avenger, even though Steve kept offering him a position on the team. His mission wasn’t finished yet, and there was no guarantee that he would still be alive at the end.

Starting anything would be cruel, especially after everything Tony had lost. Besides…why  _him_?

Rubbing his face, James sat up, making sure not to jostle Tony awake. He had no future, his past was still largely forgotten, and he had absolutely nothing to offer.

He should have said no.

Glancing at Tony’s peaceful face, James resisted the urge to brush back the strands of hair lying across his forehead. That wasn’t his right.

He should go now before Tony woke up. He should leave, hunt down whoever else he could in HYDRA.

If he didn’t, he never would.

Carefully sliding out of bed, James rearranged the covers, making sure that Tony wouldn’t get cold. He dressed quickly, not wanting to linger and change his mind.

A soft snuffle had him pause as he pulled on the glove for his left hand, eyes going to Tony. He had rolled over onto the other side, seeking out the warmth James had left behind.

Hesitating briefly, James moved forward before he could overthink it. It had all been a mistake, but that didn’t mean he didn’t  _want_.

Slowly reaching out to brush back Tony’s hair, James watched him breathe. He wanted, but that didn’t mean it was a good idea.

It had been a  _mistake_ , he reminded himself. It was one he wasn’t going to repeat.

But…he could have this one last thing, couldn’t he?

Eyes closing, James drew in close to press his lips to Tony’s, breathing in the other’s scent.

It had been a mistake, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Tony verbally reams his ass out and they get together. ;)


	69. Kidnapped Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tomanymarvelfans asked for a kiss when they're kidnapped by some kind of band of terrorists! So I delivered! ;)

“For the record, this is not my fault,” Tony said.

Steve didn’t look over from where he was still wiggling out of his ropes (which meant he was totally blaming Tony). “Who said it was?”

“Your words say one thing but your face says another.” Tony looked up at the cracked (and filthy) ceiling, twisting his hands in his own ropes to pick at the knots. “And your face says ‘ _Tony, this is one hundred percent your fault_.’”

“Stop ascribing entire sentences to my face,” Steve said. “Especially entire sentences that aren’t even  _true_.” He paused. “If anything, it’s  _both_  our faults.”

“Because we both got taken out?”

Steve heaved an irritated sigh, shooting a look at the only door to the place as if he could bore holes through it with his eyes alone. Too bad he wasn’t Superman. “Yes.”

Tony continued pulling at the knot, feeling it loosen. “On the bright side, I don’t think we’ve had a date like this before!”

With one last yank, Steve’s ropes fell to pieces. “That’s supposed to be a  _good_  thing,” he said, coming over to help Tony with his. “Kidnapping is bad.”

Once the ropes were off, Tony spent a few seconds rubbing his wrists before looping his arms around Steve’s neck. “But is  _this_  so bad?”

Steve’s hands fell to Tony’s hips, fingers tightening briefly. “Not the time, Tony.”

Tony gave him an innocent look that was nothing but sunshine and rainbows. “It’s not like we can’t beat them.”

Steve’s answering look was more along the lines of “do not pull this shit, Tony, I swear to God.”

“One kiss?” Tony pushed close to Steve, grinning. “For luck?”

Shooting the door one last glance, Steve closed the rest of the distance to give Tony a chaste kiss (and, well,  _fuck that_ ).

Tony instantly deepened it, hands flying to Steve’s head to keep him in place as he pressed into his mouth, humming softly at the familiar taste and warmth. Steve was always so  _hot_. It never failed to get Tony’s heart pounding.

There was what might have been a protest, but Steve didn’t seem to mind  _too_  much, since he was easily capable of breaking free from Tony’s hold if he wanted to. But he was still clutching at Tony’s hips and he was also eagerly kissing back, tilting his head for a deeper angle.

He wasn’t  _entirely_  sure how long they were kissing for (but it was at least three minutes judging by his internal clock), only that he heard the door opening and what sounded like disbelieving exclamations.

Steve pulled away, breathing heavily, to assess their new situation. Tony just started nosing down Steve’s neck, glancing out the corner of his eye to see what was happening.

The strangers at the door seemed properly stunned at seeing their captives unbound and making out. It was enough to make Tony grin into Steve’s skin, tapping out a quick “ready?” where Steve could feel it.

To use a cliché, their captors never saw it coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve is by now completely used to Tony's shenanigans. Tony maintains that kissing is a _totally_ valid line of defense! Natasha agrees.


	70. Shy Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pulled this off my tumblr the other day from [this particular post](http://inukagome15.tumblr.com/post/123143678451/omg-stony-17-shy-kiss-please-3). It was requested by an anon.  
> So this isn't a new fill, but I wanted to add it to the fic.
> 
> Also, I can't believe I passed Chapter 69 and DIDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR IT.

His dad was going to  _kill_  him if he knew how Tony spent most of his time in MIT. But it wasn’t like he was ever going to find out. Tony still had a 4.0 going strong, kept up with his classes, and didn’t draw more attention than necessary.

So that meant he could totally ogle the hot blond guy with tats who rode a killer motorcycle. Sure, Tony didn’t think that the guy would be interested in a kid who wasn’t even eighteen yet, but that didn’t  _matter_.

The fact that Tony was also super famous would put a kink in any potential relationship, but that didn’t really matter either.

The guy was amazing eye candy, and he was also  _smart_. Tony didn’t even know him and he liked him.

Okay, he might have looked up the guy’s records and found out he was an art major on a really good scholarship, but that was about it. Everything else Tony picked up from the days he saw the guy walk around campus and go to classes.

Steve Rogers was incredibly friendly, had the friends to back that statement up, and punched out bullies for breakfast.

Tony’d had the glorious opportunity to see Steve’s bully-punching skills firsthand when some older students had started sneering at him and giving him the cold shoulder. He’d also gotten a megawatt smile when all was said and done, and that had been all she wrote.

It was too bad that Steve never looked twice at him after that.

Still, Tony was happy enough ogling him from a distance. Rhodey just gave him longsuffering looks whenever he caught Tony doing the thing, but even he admitted Steve was very good looking.

So when the day came that Steve approached Tony in a coffee shop, smiling shyly, Tony had absolutely no idea what was going on.

He continued to have no idea when Steve asked him out for coffee, although he agreed to it when Rhodey kicked him under the table, giving him a meaningful look.

Tony kept thinking it was an enormous joke, that Steve had only asked him out on a dare (totally possible, as Steve had once licked a lamppost on a dare from his red-haired friend).

But he’d never seen Steve look like this before, half-hopeful, half-shy as if he wasn’t sure how his overtures would be accepted. He was so  _genuine_  that Tony couldn’t help but relax, no longer thinking about what would happen if Steve realized he was  _that_  Tony - the one with the dad who ran Stark Industries.

And when Steve kissed him on the cheek at the end, blushing faintly all the while, it was Tony’s turn to feel his cheeks heat up.

There was no way this was a joke, and Tony was going to hold onto this even if Howard threatened to disown him.

The brilliant blush that painted Steve’s face red after Tony kissed him properly for the first time was worth everything.


	71. Shoulder Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wouldn't have even found this prompt if I wasn't looking through my writing tag on tumblr. annanndstann said they really wanted shoulder kisses, so I've finally come through. :)

Steve had stolen the blankets.

Steve was a dirty blanket stealer.

Steve was…dead asleep and really cute.

With a sleepy groan, Tony rubbed his face, telling himself that the sight of Steve sleeping should not turn him to mush (it did). Especially since Steve was a  _dirty blanket stealer_  and Tony was freezing his ass off.

He managed to wiggle the blankets away from Steve, enough so that he could roll back under them and curl up to Steve’s warmth, tucking his body against Steve’s back.

It was funny how Steve tended to think he was still small when he slept, curling up into a tiny ball. He usually ended up the little spoon if no one paid attention, even though he was so much bigger than Tony in muscle mass (and had an inch on him in height). He also liked to sprawl and roll over on  _top_  of Tony, which was not the best idea because he weighed two hundred pounds and not ninety.

But this was nice, tucking himself up against Steve and wrapping an arm over his waist, feeling the strength of that back under his hands. It was great being able to push his face between Steve’s shoulder blades, breathing in his warm smell. It was even better being able to press his nose to the nape of Steve’s neck, the fine hairs slightly tickling him.

He could feel himself falling asleep, brain in that in-between state of wakefulness and sleep. He was aware enough to be able to press a kiss to Steve’s shoulder, taking in one more breath of that reassuring smell.

Blanket stealer or not, Steve was  _his_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony doesn't tend to steal blankets, but his feet do get really cold. Steve would very much like him to wear socks, but unfortunately that's not happening.


	72. All the Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kurowrites prompted this AGES ago. And the prompt basically ended with ALL THE KISSES, so have all the kisses. xD

Slipping back into wakefulness was a lazy process, unwilling as he was to face the day. But it was difficult to slip back under, especially when someone was nibbling teasingly on his lips, humming slightly.

“Mmf.” Tony made a small noise, sighing into the kiss. Slowly opening his eyes, he found Steve’s face an inch away from his, blue eyes dark.

He could feel Steve’s smile against his mouth, the way his lips curved into that heart-stopping sight. “Morning.”

His brain not entirely online yet, Tony just hummed in response, bringing a hand up to the back of Steve’s head to stroke through his hair. He made another noise (pleased this time, _so_ pleased) when Steve kissed him again, hand stroking down his side.

“You awake yet?” Steve asked, pressing soft kisses to the corner of Tony’s mouth and across his jaw.

Tony arched into the touch, one hand clutching the blankets while the other pressed against Steve’s head. “Yes,” he managed, brain frizzing when Steve nibbled down his neck. “I’m – _ah_.” His toes curled as Steve sucked a mark into the skin, using only a hint of teeth.

“That’s going to show,” Tony said breathlessly when Steve finally pulled off with a roguish grin.

Steve’s grin softened to a mischievous smile. “You have makeup.” He reached up for a kiss, seeming not to care about morning breath or anything else remotely human. He was too busy sending Tony’s brain offline with his tongue.

“This is unusual.” Tony wasn’t entirely aware of what he was saying when Steve pulled away, tracing more kisses down his neck. “Like, unusual but I’m not complaining. But what brought it on?”

“I can’t spoil my partner?” Steve murmured against Tony’s shoulder, breath warm.

“Spoiling’s good, spoiling’s _very_ good but – _ahh_ – I’m a little – mm – surprised.” Tony turned his head, muffling his next noise into Steve’s hair.

“Then I’ll just have to do this more often, hm?” Steve propped himself up on his elbows, giving Tony a warm smile.

 This time when Steve went back for a kiss, Tony gave as good as he got.


	73. Scared-Out-of-Your-Wits Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> toughasacottonball asked for "scared out of your wits kiss."

The plane was going to crash.

It was going to crash into the sea.

On some level, Steve appreciated the irony. Because while the circumstances weren’t exactly the same, they were close enough. After all, there was no safely landing _this_ plane, even without a deadly bomb on board.

The engines were toast and internal communications systems down. His comm was still working thankfully, but he didn’t want to hear his team’s panicked cursing and promises that they’d get there on time.

Biting back a curse, Steve tightened his grip on the sluggishly bleeding wound in his side. His eyes weren’t quite willing to focus on the dials in front of him, but there was no way he could do anything without working controls.

The HYDRA agent had vindictively destroyed them before Steve could manage to get him booted out with the only parachute in the aircraft.

“ _Cap – Steve – it’s going to be okay, all right? I promise, I’m almost there, just hang on—_ ”

God, _Tony_.

If he was still alive after this, he was going to throw caution to the wind and just kiss the man. He’d had it with waiting.

“Tony.”

“ _Hang on, okay? **Hang on**. I see you—_ ”

The mind-numbing terror of anticipating a plane hitting water really shouldn’t be so familiar. Or the crash of hitting the water at terminal velocity. He almost welcomed the instant unconsciousness

He didn’t expect the jerk back to consciousness, what felt like mere seconds after the plane hit the water. Flailing, he hit something hard and metallic, barely registering the noise over the pounding terror.

“Steve,  _Steve_ —”

Steve coughed, stomach rebelling as it expelled the saltwater he had swallowed. Then he pulled in a gasp of air through a raw throat, barely able to think beyond the memories of  _flying, putting the plane down,_ ** _ice_** _, so damn_ ** _cold_** —

And the words “ _you’ve been asleep seventy years_ ” echoed in his mind, a haunting chorus of a missed date and a chance and he didn’t want to go through that  _again_.

Shuddering, Steve groped for the object he’d hit before, finding something to hold onto and clinging to it. He managed to focus his eyes long enough to see that it was Tony, and Tony as he’d been scant hours ago, not a Tony years in the future.

Tony put his gauntlets on Steve’s shoulders, an anchor point in the maelstrom. “Steve, it’s okay, we’ve got you.”

But Steve didn’t have  _himself_. His heart was threatening to break through his ribcage and he couldn’t seem to get enough air but one thing was now crystal clear.

_No more waiting._

Steve lunged forward before Tony could react, mashing their mouths together in a desperate kiss. It wasn’t half as graceful as he’d hoped their first kiss would be, far too desperate and clumsy and awkward. He knocked against Tony’s teeth, accidentally bit Tony’s lower lip, and jammed their noses together.

And yet it was still the best thing he’d ever had.

Tony made a surprised sound into Steve’s mouth, hands flexing on Steve’s shoulders. But then he was pulling away, making soothing noises.

Steve was barely aware that someone was sobbing, and then it took another moment to realize that  _he_ was the one sobbing, still trying to catch his breath and clinging tightly to Tony.

“Shh, it’s okay. I got you, Steve. You’re all right. We’re all here.” Tony made as if to pull away, but Steve just clung tighter. He stilled, returning his hands to Steve’s shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere.” His voice was low and soothing.

No, he  _wasn’t_. Steve managed to move closer, practically crawling into Tony’s lap, pressing his face to the crook of Tony’s neck where the armor wasn’t covering skin. He was still shuddering fiercely, full body tremors that weren’t stopping.

Something like a blanket fell over him; he could feel Tony moving it until it covered Steve fully.

And once everything was settled, Tony shifted until Steve was practically cradled in his lap, arms coming around protectively. “It’s okay,” he said quietly, brushing a kiss over Steve’s forehead.

Face still pressed into Tony’s neck, Steve pulled in shaky breaths, focusing on Tony’s warmth and strength. It would be okay.

He wasn’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, of course it was going to be angsty. But there are LOTS OF CUDDLES in Steve's future.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Mistletoe Kiss (And More)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818415) by [inukagome15](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inukagome15/pseuds/inukagome15)




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